This petition is calling on the Victorian Government to provide a public engagement and assessment process for the Melbourne Uber Air proposal.

In June 2019, Uber announced plans to trial an aerial taxi service in Melbourne (referred to as Uber Air). Uber announced that demonstration flights would start in Melbourne in 2020, and commercial flights from 2023.

The Melbourne Uber Air proposal raises serious issues of concern that must be addressed before a decision is made on whether this proposal proceeds.

Victorians deserve:

1. To have a say on whether or not Uber Air proceeds
2. Adequate information on the Uber Air proposal to know how concerns will be addressed
3. If the Uber Air proposal proceeds, to have a say on what conditions will apply to its operation.

Despite the short timeframe, the Victorian Government has yet to provide details on the public process for engagement, assessment and approvals in relation to the Uber Air proposal.

Issues include:

• Public safety – flying over people particularly in densely populated urban areas, use of air space around public buildings, risk of collision with buildings (including those identified as having flammable cladding), protecting crowded spaces from terrorism, vulnerability to sabotage, operation in extreme weather conditions and complex wind behaviours
• Interaction with emergency services, particularly police, ambulance and fire helicopters
• Scale of operation – flight number, hours of operation, flight paths, origins and destinations
• Visual and noise impacts – particularly protecting amenity for residents, businesses, public buildings and users of open space 
• Privacy and data protection - the potential for collection of aerial images and personal information as part of this proposal and the way in which such information could be used or stored after capture (as identified by the Inquiry into Drone Delivery Systems in the ACT)
• Impact on communications and internet services
• Driver licensing and certification
• Employment impacts - impacts on workplace conditions of helicopter pilots and flow on employment impacts for other transport services
• Privatisation of public airspace and appropriate protections for competition
• Planning processes for assessing associated infrastructure such as skyports and helipads
• Energy and greenhouse gas impacts.

The proposed Uber Air service must also undergo a benefit cost assessment to determine whether the costs to the community outweigh benefits to potential users.

Victorians deserve more information on this significant proposal.