Luke Foley endorses Uber, will introduce ride-sharing bill into Parliament

The Labor leader says the service "could dramatically ease congestion on NSW roads" and the NSW government should no longer turn a blind eye to the issue.

The government is continuing to fine and attempt to prosecute drivers using the UberX platform.

And despite Uber's presence in Sydney for more than a year, the government has not declared how, if at all, it intends to regulate Uber, which is emerging as a significant competitor to taxi services.

Mr Foley, writing in Thursday's Sydney Morning Herald, does not detail what he intends to do about UberX, which has chalked up over a million rides in Sydney.

But he says he will introduce a private member's bill this year to regulate car sharing in the state.

"The NSW government is perfectly capable of providing these rapidly developing industries with certainty if it has the will and the vision," Mr Foley writes.

"The new regulatory regime we must develop must in some ways mirror the sector it seeks to regulate," he writes.

"Which is to say, any new regulatory framework must involve the regulators, the platforms, and the users – a collaborative regulatory framework for a collaborative economy."

Mr Foley's position marks a break with the NSW government. NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has said he intends to lay out a new process to address changes in the industry, but has not endorsed the UberX ride-sharing model, in which regular drivers can offer lifts in their own cars.

Twenty-four UberX drivers are being prosecuted by Roads and Maritime Services under the Passenger Transport Act, and the department continues to investigate other UberX drivers.

On Wednesday Uber unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the right of RMS to prosecute the drivers. But the matter will return to court in July.

In the US, numerous states have passed laws regulating, and legalising Uber. These regulations typically cover vehicle standards, insurance, accreditation of drivers, and how ride-sharing services can pick up passengers.

The NSW Greens party also says ride-sharing should be legalised and regulated.

Uber recently suffered a blow in the Californian courts, after a labour commissioner ruled in a non-binding decision that one driver who used Uber should be considered an employee of the company. Uber maintains drivers are "partners," not employees.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said that a Californian labour commissioner ruled that all Uber drivers should be considered employees.