RACV has welcomed Uber Australia’s decision to mandate that all vehicles in its fleet must carry a 5-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash safety rating.
The US-based ride-share company announced earlier this week that any vehicles entering the Uber platform from 1 October this year must have the maximum safety rating. Uber is giving all existing drivers until 1 October 2021 to ensure they are operating in a vehicle that has a 5-star rating.
RACV manager vehicle engineering Michael Case says the plan should give ride-share customers peace of mind.
“Uber passengers and drivers will be safer in the future with the ride-sharing business introducing a 5-star ANCAP safety rating policy for all their vehicles,” he says. “As a long-time member of ANCAP, we welcome this initiative to improve passenger safety.”
ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin has praised Uber’s decision, saying it follows many businesses’ and government organisations’ 5-star-only policies.
“This is a great step in enhancing the safety of all those who use our roads,” he says. “Ride-share services are a modern convenience, and this initiative shows strong leadership.
“Five-star safety is now the expected standard among car buyers, and we should continue to expect that same high standard whenever we use a car.”
According to ANCAP, the share of 5-star-rated vehicles sold in Australia has increased from 48 per cent of the new-car market in 2012 to 90 per cent in 2018.
Recent ANCAP polling revealed that 84 per cent of consumers would consider opting for a 5-star-rated vehicle when using a ride-sharing platform.
The ANCAP website has a 'Safer Rides’ page that allows users to search the make and model of their ride-share vehicle to determine its ANCAP crash safety rating.
Uber says that most of its Uber X trips are currently done in 5-star-rated vehicles.
