RIDESHARE company Uber could soon be coming to the Far North but Cairns Taxis has warned passengers they are risking their lives if they use the controversial service.

Operators of the California-based start-up, which operates in more than 50 countries, have revealed plans to roll out the service to the Far North at the same time as Townsville, about April.

Uber has been the subject of much debate with Queensland, Victoria and NSW imposing hundreds of fines against “unauthorised” drivers operating illegally, and without valid insurance.

Townsville-based entrepreneur Matt Wilson said Cairns was the perfect market for the app-linked car sharing service.

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“Hopefully we’ll be doing Cairns at the same time as Townsville, because I think it would be a lot easier to set up the whole of North Queensland at the same time,’’ he said.

“There’s quite a bit of interest in it from Cairns. We’re looking at doing it for Cairns, and maybe Mackay.”

Uber is outlawed in Queensland, and the Department of Transport and Main Roads has already issued 452 fines totalling $537,208 to the company’s drivers.

Taxi companies have warned the company to steer clear of the Sunshine State, but Mr Wilson said it was up to customers whether the service continued to grow.

“Coming from Brisbane and using Uber down there myself, pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to who has used Uber is never going back to using a normal taxi,’’ he said.

“With Uber, you’re not only going from A to B and getting that service, you’re also getting a personality.

“In an age where we’re all about communication, the last thing you need is to get into that taxi and there’s that awkward silence for 10 minutes while you go to the airport.

“With an Uber driver, you’ve got stories, each driver has stories to tell, and it’s a more enjoyable experience.”

Cairns Taxis fleet services manager Robert Hayles said passengers using Uber were putting themselves at risk of using an uninsured service, with a driver who had not been vetted by authorities.

“Anyone who gets into a car that’s not a taxi, a bus or commercial vehicle, has no insurance coverage,’’ he said.

“Queensland Transport do daily checks as well, so basically the person you’re getting into the car with, if it’s Uber, they don’t have criminal checks against them.

“To be a taxi driver, you need to have a continual ongoing process.

“If someone gets a criminal record, we’re immediately advised, in which case they get taken off the road.

“With Uber, that doesn’t happen.”