Uber mess: banned in Thailand, Spain, trouble in Vietnam & Indonesia, sued in California
There’s never a dull day for rideshare startup Uber Inc., and today is no different with news of a range of new bans, problems and legal suits.
The first ban comes from military junta-ruled Thailand, where the Thai Department of Land Transport have said that Uber is illegal because the company uses private cars rather than licensed taxis.
“Thailand does not ban the use of applications in calling taxi services,” director Teerapong Rodprasert told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s the use of vehicles that are not properly registered that we do not allow.”
The Government has stated that they are not banning Uber outright, but simply banning Uber in its current form.
In Vietnam, Uber was meant to discuss its service with the Government Monday, but cancelled the talks citing “important circumstances.”
Reuters reports that Transport Minister Dinh La Thang called for regulation after a deputy transport minister calling Uber’s operations illegal.
To the South in Indonesia, a spokesman for Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta said that drivers using apps such as Uber are acting illegally.
“Many taxi companies don’t have a formal permit to operate from the government. They operate by themselves. This is usual in Indonesia,” the spokesman said, noting that Uber does not currently have a license.
Heading West to Europe, Spain has banned Uber for administrative and competition reasons.
A Spanish court found that the service “lacks the administrative authorisation to carry out the job, and the activity they carry out constitutes unfair competition” in banning the company, although noted it was “cautionary measure” while the court examines a case brought by the Madrid Taxi Association.
The court went further in ordering telecom companies and payment service providers to block Uber, denying any chance the company would have to continue trading.
Back across the Atlantic, San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys filed a consumer protection suit against Uber on Tuesday reported the Los Angeles Times.
The suit claims that Uber doesn’t go far enough to protect its passengers, with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon accusing Uber of making false and misleading statements about how it protects consumers and engaging in business practices that violate California law.
In particular Gascon pointed to Uber’s criminal background checks, which he said were “completely worthless,” as they did not include taking fingerprints.
It’s not even Wednesday at Uber looks set to be having a week from hell, following being banned in Portland, Oregon and Dehli, India, where it is facing a criminal negligence charge after an Uber driver raped a passenger.
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