Ridesharing service Uber is having a rough time legally these days. The app is blacklisted in India because a driver is accused of raping a female passenger, and now Portland, OR, is putting up its own legal defense against the on-demand taxis to keep them off the city's roads. The business is facing an investigation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well.
Portland has filed a lawsuit against Uber for allegedly violating over 20 civil and criminal codes, according to Bloomberg. The city government's complaints range from drivers not having the proper permits to operate as taxis to lacking wheelchair accessibility. The goal is a court order stopping the company's operation. "Uber's operations pose an immediate, real and substantial threat to the public," according to the complaint quoted by Bloomberg.
When reached for comment Uber spokesperson Eva Behrend provided Autoblog with the following statement:
In addition to problems in Portland, the municipal transport department in Rio has a similar complaint against Uber drivers of operating without taxi licenses, according to Bloomberg, and police are investigating. These are hardly the first legal challenges Uber has faced around the world against governments. A portion of its service was banned in Germany, and it took a compromise finally to let a part of the app be allowed in Seoul, South Korea, after initially being banned.
Portland has filed a lawsuit against Uber for allegedly violating over 20 civil and criminal codes, according to Bloomberg. The city government's complaints range from drivers not having the proper permits to operate as taxis to lacking wheelchair accessibility. The goal is a court order stopping the company's operation. "Uber's operations pose an immediate, real and substantial threat to the public," according to the complaint quoted by Bloomberg.
When reached for comment Uber spokesperson Eva Behrend provided Autoblog with the following statement:
The petition that she mentions is being run from Uber's website."Uber has received a tremendously warm welcome from riders and drivers in and around Portland. We appreciate the way residents have welcomed Uber into the Rose City, their support illustrates why it's time to modernize Portland transportation regulation. In less than 4 hours, nearly 7,000 Portland residents have signed the petition in support of Uber and we remain hopeful that the city will listen to Portlanders who want safe, reliable, hassle free ride options now."
In addition to problems in Portland, the municipal transport department in Rio has a similar complaint against Uber drivers of operating without taxi licenses, according to Bloomberg, and police are investigating. These are hardly the first legal challenges Uber has faced around the world against governments. A portion of its service was banned in Germany, and it took a compromise finally to let a part of the app be allowed in Seoul, South Korea, after initially being banned.
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