"Uber . . . Uber . . ." Over and Over

[Randy W]

in the Shanghaiist

Blogger says Uber crackdown underway as her car is intercepted by police and driver forcibly removed

 

Police began interrogating Elaine by repeating the word "Uber" over and over. While at first feigning ignorance, she eventually admitted that she'd hired a car through Uber after officers produced a digital map of Beijing which appeared to show the location of all Uber cars in the city.

Officers told Elaine through a mixture of English and Chinese that Uber was fine in America but not in China. She was eventually allowed to leave after giving her personal details to the police.

Elaine says that the experience has turned her away from Uber in China knowing that the authorities have her details. “I would obviously know it’s illegal, but still be doing it. So what would that [imply]?”

If Elaine's account is accurate, it places Uber in a very confusing legal situation. Is the company legal or illegal in China? The answer seems to vary from province to province.

 

 

[Greg.D.]

I'm not a fan of the "gig economy" and, therefore, not a fan of uber. It isn't so much that uber would not be allowed in China but the fact that it is not a Chinese uber ... of which there are some. I'll bet they were privately warned enough times.

[Randy W]

. . . and now in Macau - from the SCMP

 

If you haven't seen the news on the Mainland - https://newsroom.uber.com/uber-china-didi/

 

Uber to pull out of Macau next month as drivers continue to face heavy fines

Uber regional general manager for Asia says more than 300 drivers have been fined 10 million patacas since they started to operate in October

 

The US-based car hailing mobile phone app has been popular in Macau, where finding a cab on the streets has not been easy due to a shortage. Its operation in the former Portuguese enclave has been deemed illegal by the authorities since its launch in October.

The authorities said on Monday that police had prosecuted 379 cases of unlicensed taxi services related to Uber.

 

. . .

 

Macau’s Secretary for Security Wong Sio-chak said on Monday the government did not suppress Uber, but is enforcing its laws legally.

He insisted that firms should acquire a license before they can operate hire car services.

An Uber spokesman for its Asia-Pacific operations said its services in Hong Kong would not be affected as the two operations were separated.

He said Uber would continue to be committed to serve the drivers and riders in Hong Kong, which had remained one of the fastest growing and strongest markets in the region.

 

[Randy W]

A Hong Kong sting - in the SCMP

 

22 Uber drivers arrested in undercover Hong Kong police operation

Ride-hailing app the target as police hold drivers on suspicion of driving without a hire car permit and third-party insurance

 

 

Another police source said it was not known whether the third-party insurance coverage Uber drivers purchased met the requirements.

But he insisted that it was “illegal” to provide such a car-hailing service without a car hire permit.

Over the past three weeks, police officers posing as customers were deployed to take trips around the city using the Uber car-hailing app. The officers paid by credit card for the fares through the app.

After gathering evidence, officers swooped into action on Tuesday, raiding a number of locations. During the operation a total of 22 drivers – 21 men and one woman – were picked up and 12 vehicles impounded.