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Uber Taxis

Taxi for Uber - firm suspended in Nevada after legal challenge

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

November 28, 2014 | 3 min read

Uber has been suspended in Nevada following a legal dispute which saw a judge impose an injuction on its use in the state.

Uber is under similar scrutiny the world over

The taxi-hailing app which allows users to summon a lift using their smartphones has rose to international prominence but has received considerable push back from existing taxi firms and government regulatory bodies.

Internationally, Uber is at the centre of a legal battle where it claims it is a technology firm and not a taxi company, a stance which it thinks means its drivers do not need to be licensed. While this dramatically reduces the overhead of Uber drivers, it puts the firm under scrutiny from taxi firms whose employees do pay these fees.

As a result of the Nevada ban, the firm said 1,000 of its former employees were without a job on the verge of Thanksgiving. In response, Uber launched a petition requesting it gets reinstated; to date it has received 18,000 signatures.

Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said in a statement: “Nevadans have been demanding better, more innovative ways to move around their cities for years. On October 24, Uber came to Nevada and met that demand.

“But instead of embracing this innovative and transformative technology, Nevada is the first state in the country to temporarily suspend Uber.

“Las Vegas and Reno are home to tens of thousands of people who have been clamoring for more reliable ways to get around their city. With Uber, they finally had a ride when they needed one but now they are being left at the curb."

Behrend concluded: "One thing is very clear - this is a service that people are using and want. Uber meets a clear Nevada need."

Despite its very public teething problems, the app was valued at between $35 and $40bn earlier this week.

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