Perth’s new Optus Stadium to ban Uber drivers in favour of registered taxi rank

Uber and other ride-sharing drivers have been banned from Optus Stadium, with a cab rank next to the new arena to allow registered taxis only.

Optus Stadium has revealed Uber drivers and people in private cars wanting to drop off passengers will be turned away from the taxi rank on Victoria Park Drive, next to the stadium.

A stadium spokeswoman said authorities would also enforce a ban on dropping off passengers anywhere along the 2km Victoria Park Drive, the only road to the stadium, on event days.

The stadium spokeswoman said it had always been made clear that public transport would be the primary mode of transport for most stadium visitors.

The stadium does not have a general carpark and only premium ticketholders will be able to park at the ground.

“Travelling to events at Optus Stadium by private vehicle is not possible and fans will need to change their game plan and work out their best public transport options ahead of their first event,” the spokeswoman said.

Some roads in East Perth, on the city side of the planned pedestrian bridge, will also be closed to general traffic on event days to accommodate shuttle buses. However, talks are under way to allow parking at Belmont Park Racecourse, which is a 1km walk from the stadium entrance. The Crown Perth carpark is about 1.5km away and an East Perth carpark is 1.3km away.

A Public Transport Authority spokeswoman urged people to use buses or trains.

“Stadium attendees are strongly encouraged to be dropped off at their nearest bus or train station and utilise the public transport fare that is included in their event ticket,” the spokeswoman said.

By law, only taxis can use cab ranks. But stadium management did not explain why the facility did not include a drop-off zone for Uber.

Uber did not comment on the ban but has not given up on getting access.

“We’re ready to work with VenuesLive so that they can provide their customers with all available transportation options,” Uber spokesman Matt Wing said.

Athan Tsirigotis, from the Taxi Operators Legal Defence group, said it was a win for the struggling taxi industry. “If you want to get in and out of the stadium, apart from buses and trains, it’ll be by taxi,” he said.