Uber driver allegedly assaults Melbourne teen

The Uber app on a smartphone. Photo / Dean Purcell

A driver for ride-hailing service Uber is alleged to have indecently assaulted a 19-year-old woman in Melbourne.

Victoria's taxi body says it is unsurprising that an unregulated cab booking has resulted in an alleged assault.

Police allege a 31-year-old Noble Park man indecently assaulted the 19-year-old passenger as he drove her home in Melbourne on New Year's Day.

The passenger booked the ride through the smartphone app Uber.

An Uber spokeswoman said the driver was "deactivated" as soon as the allegations were made.

She said drivers undergo full criminal background checks, and the driver in question had no criminal history.

The man has been released, pending summons and is expected to be charged with sex and unaccredited driving offences.

Victorian Taxi Association chief executive David Samuel said it had long been warning the community about the dangers of unregulated taxi services.

"We appreciate that there is the potential for incidents to occur across all service types, but it is unacceptable that illegal services be allowed to continue in the face of outcomes such as this," he said in a statement on Monday.

"It is now time for the platitudes and rhetoric to end and for the Taxi Services Commission, via its commissioners, to take strong and decisive action on illegal ride sharing and to ensure all commercial transport service providers are operating within the law."

- AAP