Indian-origin driver denies operating taxi illegally in Aus

An Indian-origin driver for app- based global cab firm Uber today pleaded not guilty to three charges of operating a taxi illegally in Western Australia.
Sukhwinder Singh, the first Uber driver to be prosecuted in Western Australia, is accused of using a vehicle as a taxi without authorisation and interfering with a surveillance unit in a taxi.
Singh did not appear in person in the Perth Magistrates Court, but his lawyer Peter Haag entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on June 30 to determine when he will face trial.
Singh is one of 20 Uber drivers charged with illegally operating a taxi in Western Australia.

Outside court, Taxi Industry Forum chief executive Howard Lance said he didn't feel sorry for the drivers who were facing prosecution.

"I want to see more charges - I just want to see justice served," Lance was quoted as saying by WA Today online.
"The regulations are basically there to protect the travelling public and if they're flaunted, at the end of the day, it's the travelling public that's going to miss out."
Last month, charges were laid against more than 19 Perth drivers of the ride-sharing app Uber after they ignored orders to produce appropriate documents to show they could operate.

The US-based popular but controversial taxi firm has been hit with court cases in several countries, including India.
In Delhi, all app-based cab service were banned after an Uber driver was accused of raping a woman passenger in December last year.
Uber landed in another controversy after one of its drivers was accused of molesting a woman passenger on May 31 during a ride to Gurgaon, Haryana.