Online transport company Uber is accusing the Queensland Government of siding with the taxi industry and trying to shut the ride sharing service down.

The Uber app, which offers a pick-up and drop-off service using a credit card, wants to be recognised as a ride sharing operation, rather than a taxi.

In a submission to Queensland MPs, Uber said the Transport Department was trying to shut it down by refusing to discuss reforms to enable the ride sharing app to operate.

Uber said it had been operating in Queensland for just over a year and more than 100,000 Queenslanders had chosen ride sharing as their preferred way to get around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Uber spokesman Brad Kitschke said the Department of Transport was refusing to meet with the company.

"We believe the Government is using existing rules to try and protect the incumbent industry from competition and doing so unreasonably," he said.

"We wanted to lay out a regulated framework for ride sharing — we believe that ride sharing is a new and distinct service.

"It is not a private hire service and it is not a taxi service, it requires a different regulatory treatment.

"The department has met with Uber to ask us to shut our business down, so I think it is quite surprising that the Minister has come out to say that her door is open, given that when we met with the Minister that is what she asked us to do."

However, Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said that was not the case.

"My door is open and I will continue to meet with Uber, but I am not prepared to put passenger safety at risk here," she said.

"There are a number of issues to do with the regulation of drivers, criminal history checks, and daily reporting."

But Mr Kitschke said all Uber drivers faced strict safety regulations.

"Every single driver on the Uber platform in Queensland is accredited by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, so if the Minister is questioning the background checks on Uber drivers, the Minister is questioning how her department conducts that process," he said.