Taxi-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. and its troubles in some of its overseas markets seem like a never-ending saga as the company is now all set to pull out of Quebec next month due to new regulatory issues. The new regulations that have been proposed by the Ministry Of Transportation are not agreeable to the company and they have decided to pull out of Quebec on October 14.
Uber pulls out
After the company's setback in London last week, the last thing that Uber needed was another set of regulatory measures that would make their life difficult in another market.
Uber had entered Quebec last year as part of what the company called a pilot project and the company has also proclaimed that the program proved to be a big success for the company. However, the latest set of rules and regulations from the Ministry of Transportation that are going to kick in soon has forced Uber to abandon the market and make an exit on October 14.
Some of the rules are related to Uber drivers. The ministry has mandated that like other drivers in Quebec, Uber drivers must also be made to complete a training session that lasts at least 35 hours and in addition to that, the drivers must also conduct car inspections at least once a year. In addition to all that, the drivers will also need to go through thorough background checks that are going to be performed by law enforcement agencies.
Uber 'disappointed'
Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, the general manager of Uber's Quebec operations released a statement in which he said that they are disappointed at the government for adding new rules that will force the company from renewing their project in Quebec. He added, “Among other things, the proposed rules would impose onerous training obligations developed for a different industry on ridesharing drivers, without taking into account the benefits that come with new technology such as in-app safety features, GPS tracking of every trip, a two-way rating system, and 24/7 support.”
Earlier this week, the local transport authority in United Kingdom's capital London, called Uber not 'fit and proper' and refused to renew its private hire license.
The company is going to appeal against the ban and have already started a massive campaign to drive support from the residents of London. However, Uber's refusal to abide by the Rules And Regulations of local governments continues to be the company's bugbear despite its global aspirations.
