GoCatch tries to catch up with Uber as ridesharing becomes legal in Queensland

Australia’s home-grown transport booking app GoCatch will compete with American ridesharing startup Uber for market dominance after operation of ride-hailing services has been legalised in Queensland.

GoCatch CEO David Holmes admitted that they will be playing catch up, especially as GoCatch starts operation in Brisbane Monday alongside Uber.

“We've got a heap of ground to catch up on that little US company,” Holmes said on Twitter, apparently referring to Uber.

Compared to its American rival, GoCatch promises riders with an affordable ride without surge pricing, a notorious feature associated with Uber. GoCatch also gives passengers the option to book a taxi or a ride-sharing vehicle.

"We're not trying to disrupt the taxi industry, we're just trying to help everyone be more efficient at what they do," Holmes explained.

GoCatch started out as a taxi booking app in 2011. In February 2016, GoCatch launched Rideshare, its first ridesharing offering in Sydney. At present, GoCatch claims to have 350,000 registered passengers and 35,000 accredited drivers across Australia.

Earlier, the Queensland Government has decided to let ride-sharing companies operate while offering $100 million industry assistance package to appease taxi operators. The industry assistance package covers $4 million in waived taxi fees over the next 12 months and reduction of 80 pieces of taxi red tape.

“Queensland is the innovation state,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in an earlier statement. “We are advancing Queensland. We are embracing innovative new technologies and business models right across our economy and up and down our state, and the personalised transport sector is no different.”

“As we embrace the future, we will do it in a way that supports the taxi industry. This is a challenge all Governments across Australia have faced,” Palaszczuk added.

To the commuters’ relief, the Queensland Government vowed not to impose new tax on passengers. Unlike Uber, GoCatch provides tax invoices to customers after each trip.