|
The move follows a similar one-year suspension in Finland in
July to allow a new taxi law to come into effect, however there
is no set date for when UberPOP will be reintroduced in Norway.
The U.S. ride-hailing company has come under fierce pressure
from traditional taxi drivers and regulators across Europe who
accuse it of unfair competition and skirting traditional
licensing rules.
UberPOP has already been suspended in several European capitals,
including Paris and Brussels, and Uber was recently humbled when
it lost its license to operate in London.
"We've learned the hard way that we must change as a company in
order to serve the millions of riders and drivers who rely on
us. With our new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi onboard, it's a new era
for Uber," the company said in a statement.
"That's why it's now time to pause UberPOP in Norway, in order
to relaunch under new regulations."
UberPOP will be paused on Oct. 30, while Uber's licensed
services UberBLACK and UberXXL will continue to operate as
normal.
Khosrowshahi took the helm of the company in August, replacing
co-founder and former boss Travis Kalanick and has promised
change at the $70-billion dollar firm.
The company said it was encouraged by developments in Norway
such as the government's sharing economy committee which
recommended repealing certain provisions related to taxis and an
opinion from the EFTA surveillance authority which said Norway's
restrictions on taxi licenses were illegal.
"Norway deserves modernized laws that encourage innovation and
competition without sacrificing what makes the Norwegian model
special," Uber said. "We hope the government will implement
these recommendations soon, so that we can relaunch a new and
improved version of the product loved by so many."
UberPOP had around 280,000 users in Oslo and hundreds of
drivers.
(Reporting by Julia Fioretti, editing by David Evans)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
