Those living in New York City who love to use the ridesharing service known as Uber enjoy the convenience of hailing a driver directly from the smartphone, being able to obtain a lift at any time. It must be said that many governments all over are not too thrilled with the idea, and countries such as Taiwan and Spain have issued bans. Not so in the US, but the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are not too happy about how the business is being run though. It seems that the most recent run-in was attributed to a decision by New York’s Taxi and Limousine Tribunal closing down five of Uber’s six bases in NYC on a temporary basis because Uber did not submit trip data to the organization.
Regulations in NYC require each of the company’s drivers to be affiliated with one of these bases, which happen to be licensed by the TLC. The function would be similar to that of dispatchers, and as long as one of them remains open, the service will continue to function.
Among the information requested included the likes of “date of trip, time of trip, pick up location, and license numbers” that range from April 1 to September 20, 2014, which is what the ruling entails. Legal eagles for the bases claimed that such information would divulge trade secrets, and needless to say, the hearing officer did not agree from that perspective, fining each one $200 while suspending them from operating until the requested information is handed over.
The shutdown lasted just a while, as a couple of days after the ruling saw all five bases being operational. Uber has already filed an appeal, and prior to any other decision, it would be business as usual in these locations.