While the imminent arrival of ride-sharing app Uber to the nation's capital has stirred ongoing debate, Canberrans are using Facebook to arrange cheap lifts from strangers, sparking safety concerns from cyber experts.
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The Facebook group 'Tyson's Civic, CBR, QBN Lifts. UBER 0.5' is an informal public platform where people can offer and ask for lifts in and around Canberra for an agreed price.
The page – with more than 2000 members – explains in its description its initial purpose was to get intoxicated people home safely and affordably, but in response to demand is now available 24 hours a day.
A spokesperson from the Facebook page said: "Over the years we have lost quite a few close friends to drink-driving-related accidents and saw the need to fill the void of transport that suits the user.
"Hopefully in the future groups such as ours can have an impact in reducing the number of deaths in our small community."
The University of Canberra Centre of Internet Safety's Nigel Phair says there is no confidence in a stranger's true identity when inviting them from the web into reality.
"The difference with Uber is the drivers are verified, you get the registration and there's a viable background check," Mr Phair said.
"I've got nothing against the community at work but using a public forum for this sort of thing is a high-risk endeavour."
ACT policing also urges people to "never accept a lift from someone you don't know".
One member of the page, Alex Finch, acknowledged the dangers associated with catching rides from strangers but said it's often hard for a person who has consumed alcohol to ignore the temptation of a cheap, quick lift.
"When I posted on the page I just really wanted to get home and wasn't thinking of the safety risks," he said.
Any transport service arrangement should be subject to regulation, minimum payments and insurance, according to the Transport Worker's Union's Canberra branch secretary Klaus Pinkas.
"You can't have it as a free for all, regardless of the booking mechanism," Mr Pinkas said.
"Independent contractors need minimum rates. And that's what these people are, even without an Australian Business Number."
However a spokesperson for the ACT government said these rules don't apply to the use online technology for informal carpooling, which is "no different from traditional arrangements, such as a notice board at work".
"There is clearly a market for more models of transport in the territory," the spokesperson said.
The ACT government is finalising its taxi regulation review concerning Uber's arrival, which could be as soon as October.
The global smartphone-based company charges up to 50 per cent less than a standard taxi.
It is believed the ride-sharing Facebook page has no affiliation with the official Uber. Its name has been changed to 'Tyson's Lifts4Friends Civic, CBR, QBN' since being contacted by Fairfax Media.
