General manager for Uber NZ, Oscar Peppitt, said it had hundreds of drivers ready to start and tens of thousands of potential riders in Christchurch.

﻿

Uber has launched in Christchurch and users will get five free rides for the first two weeks.

The ride-sharing service started at 12 noon. The global company said there was "huge" demand for its services in the city.

It had hundreds of drivers and tens of thousands of potential riders in Christchurch, Uber NZ general manager Oscar Peppittsaid.

The service could help improve congestion problems in the city, he said.

READ MORE

* Uber launch in Christchurch 'imminent'

* More than 1300 apply for Uber jobs in Christchurch

* Uber pushes ridesharing proposal with Christchurch trial

* Uber set to face tighter rules

Stuff did a price check on some city trips and found:

Central city to the airport: $20-$28

Central city to New Brighton: $17-$23

Rolleston to central city: $43-$58

Riccarton to St Albans: $9-$13

"You've got a situation here where there's around 500 taxis which is less than half the amount that exists on average in Auckland and Wellington per capita so quite clearly something is broken down here about the current system. We think ridesharing is the perfect solution to that," Peppittsaid.

Uber has adopted a different driver registration model to its Auckland and Wellington services despite not getting the green light from the Government to do so.

In Christchurch, Uber drivers can get approved through a registration that costs $20 and takes six days to obtain. They usually required a "P" endorsement – a passenger endorsement ticket from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) that costs $2000 and takes three months to get.

Drivers will still be screened for a criminal record by the Ministry of Justice and for their driving history by the NZTA.

Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss said he replied to a letter from Uber, requesting a three-month ridesharing trial with the different registration model, on March 1.

"I indicated Uber's request needed to be considered as part of the Small Passenger Services review. The review's public consultation process is now complete and I expect to announce Cabinet's final decisions in the near future."

Uber is launching in Christchurch anyway. The two-week free period will let the Government see the new system in action, Peppitt said.

"The challenge is understanding what you're dealing with and writing sensible safety-based regulations around that.

"Providing a working model for the Government to be able to look at and provide regulations around is a key part of what we are hoping to do here."

Last month, New Zealand Taxi Federation chief executive Roger Heale said: "Uber are asking for a trial where existing safety checks and balances be removed so part-time drivers can set up shop without regard to many of the legal requirements that currently exist."

The Government is reviewing its rules for small passenger services, which covers taxis, private hire cars, shuttles, dial-a-driver, and ridesharing services. The review was open for public submissions until February 12.

In December, the review team proposed that a new single class of small passenger transport providers be created "in which operators have responsibility for safety and compliance".

Uber was founded in San Francisco in 2009. It operates in 400 cities worldwide and has 1500 drivers and 100,000 riders across Auckland and Wellington after launching there in 2014.