Uber Philippines slapped with hefty fine
The Philippine transport regulator said on August 25 that a one-month suspension ordered earlier this month on ride-sharing service Uber in the Philippines would only be lifted if a penalty of 190 million pesos ($3.7 million) would be paid. The fine is nearly 20 times greater than Uber had offered to pay, Reuters reported.
The regulator also said that Uber needed to collectively pay its drivers nearly 20 million pesos daily as financial assistance during the suspension period.
Uber reacted saying that they were “working hard to meet the conditions for the lifting of the suspension and hope to resume operations as soon as possible”.
According to Philippine media reports, the company is willing to pay the 190-million peso fine to settle the dispute quickly.
The regulator halted Uber’s operations for a month from August 14 for disregarding a directive to stop accepting new driver applications. Uber, which said it did not process those applications, later offered to pay a fine of 10 million pesos to get the suspension lifted.
The Uber freeze has attracted public attention because many Philippine commuters regard the ride hailing app as more reliable and competitive than mainstream transport services. Hundreds of thousands of Manila commuters find Uber and its ride-sharing rivals welcome alternatives to the country’s notoriously poor and overcrowded buses and trains, run-down taxis and rough cab drivers.
Uber’s Philippines suspension caused a spike in demand for rival Grab, as well as long queues near offices and malls and some disgruntlement about reverting to using regular taxis.
The Philippine transport regulator said on August 25 that a one-month suspension ordered earlier this month on ride-sharing service Uber in the Philippines would only be lifted if a penalty of 190 million pesos ($3.7 million) would be paid. The fine is nearly 20 times greater than Uber had offered to pay, Reuters reported. The regulator also said that Uber needed to collectively pay its drivers nearly 20 million pesos daily as financial assistance during the suspension period. Uber reacted saying that they were “working hard to meet the conditions for the lifting of the suspension and hope to resume...
The Philippine transport regulator said on August 25 that a one-month suspension ordered earlier this month on ride-sharing service Uber in the Philippines would only be lifted if a penalty of 190 million pesos ($3.7 million) would be paid. The fine is nearly 20 times greater than Uber had offered to pay, Reuters reported.
The regulator also said that Uber needed to collectively pay its drivers nearly 20 million pesos daily as financial assistance during the suspension period.
Uber reacted saying that they were “working hard to meet the conditions for the lifting of the suspension and hope to resume operations as soon as possible”.
According to Philippine media reports, the company is willing to pay the 190-million peso fine to settle the dispute quickly.
The regulator halted Uber’s operations for a month from August 14 for disregarding a directive to stop accepting new driver applications. Uber, which said it did not process those applications, later offered to pay a fine of 10 million pesos to get the suspension lifted.
The Uber freeze has attracted public attention because many Philippine commuters regard the ride hailing app as more reliable and competitive than mainstream transport services. Hundreds of thousands of Manila commuters find Uber and its ride-sharing rivals welcome alternatives to the country’s notoriously poor and overcrowded buses and trains, run-down taxis and rough cab drivers.
Uber’s Philippines suspension caused a spike in demand for rival Grab, as well as long queues near offices and malls and some disgruntlement about reverting to using regular taxis.
