Uber and the NSW Government have formalised an agreement which will see the rideshare platform officially join NSW’s Transport Management Centre incident response process. This Australia-first agreement will help move people when a major or unplanned public transport disruption occurs. 

As part of the agreement, Uber and Transport NSW will partner to put proactive measures in place to ensure faster and more efficient communications with drivers during disruptions. This includes coordinating with Uber’s ongoing practice to communicate with drivers via notifications and in-app messages when things go wrong on the public transport network.

For several years, Uber has had 24/7 monitoring of public transport activity and processes in place to limit surge when major outages or safety incidents occur. Under this new agreement, Uber’s Regional Security Team will now have a clear point of contact in the Transport Management Centre and receive real-time updates from the Government in the event of a transport disruption.

“Over the past decade, Uber has become an integral part of the NSW transport network, and residents rely on our platform for convenient, safe rides every day. Especially when there are significant disruptions in the transport network, Uber is an important safety net that helps get people where they need to be.” said Dom Taylor, General Manager of Uber Australia & New Zealand. “We’re excited to deepen our partnership with the NSW Government and take steps that will work to the benefit of residents across the state.”

The Hon. Jo Haylen MP, NSW Minister for Transport, said, “The Government’s agreement with Uber will mean that when a serious incident happens on our transport network, surge pricing will be limited.”

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Notes on Dynamic Pricing (often referred to as “surge pricing”)

Dynamic pricing – often referred to as surge – is a temporary way of ensuring passengers who want a ride can always get one, during periods of peak demand. Dynamic pricing happens when demand from riders at a particular time exceeds the supply of driver-partners. 

By raising the price, more driver partners go into an area, and people who don’t want to pay the higher price and have time can wait until more driver-partners are in the area or choose an alternative.

In situations of increased demand riders are still given an upfront price before they request their ride, giving them the freedom to decide if they want to use the platform or choose another transportation option. These changes have been driven by our desire to deliver the best rideshare platform for driver-partners to earn on and for riders to enjoy a safe, reliable and convenient way to get from A to B.