New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is heading to London this week to meet with the transport commissioner. In a tweet sent out right after the ban, Khosrowshahi publicly asked London to work with Uber on rectifying the issues.
The Transport for London ban on Uber is making international headlines and providing an eventful orientation for the new CEO. However, the Uber London ban is far from Uber’s first experience with governments disliking them.
Where else has Uber been banned?
Uber ban in the U.S.
Uber pulled out of Austin, Texas after the city told the company they had to fingerprint and background check all new hires. The company claimed this practice would not improve the safety of it operations, and they pulled out.
Uber also pulled out of Alaska after only six months in that market. Uber had to pay an almost $78,000 fine as a result of a dispute over—you guessed it—worker classification. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development thought Uber should classify its workers as employees. Uber, of course, thought it should go on classifying them as independent contractors.
New legislation may allow Uber to return to Alaska in the future.
Uber ban in Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary
Similar to London, Bulgaria accused Uber of “unfair trade practices.” Their transportation organization stated that Uber will have to register as a taxi organization and meet applicable regulations if it wants to return to the Bulgarian market.
Also similar to Uber, the ban came about in large part due to protests and lobbying on the part of traditional taxi cab drivers in Bulgaria. These drivers claimed that it was unfair for Uber drivers to be able to provide a taxi-like service without the same licensing required for taxi drivers.
The ban went all the way to the supreme court, and well over 70 percent of Bulgarians polled were against the ban. The decision to ban Uber cost 40,000 jobs and a fine of over $55,000.
Italy also banned Uber for “unfair competition” practices. Similar to what it is doing now in London, Uber bought itself more time by going through the court process. However, the final court ruling is coming up, and Uber will have to leave after that.
The Hungarian government banned Uber on similar charges (unfair business practice). It stated that Uber and other rideshare companies would need to pursue similar avenues to taxi cab drivers. Its ruling also gave internet service providers the right to ban Uber and other similar services.
Uber ban in China, Taiwan
Uber didn’t last long in the Chinese market. After allegedly losing billions of dollars, Uber sold out to Didi Chuxing, a major Chinese competitor. Meanwhile, in Taiwan, Uber found itself caught under millions of dollars worth of government fines. While it is still able to run via an agreement with various rental car agencies, Uber’s service is limited.
Other Uber bans
Other bans include Finland, Spain, France, the Netherlands (all mainly regarding UberPOP), Vancouver, and the Northern Territory of Australia.
