Uber Technologies Inc yesterday said it expects to resume operations in the Philippines “soon” after regulators agreed to lift a ban slapped against the ride-sharing giant in exchange for a fine.
The government meted Uber a one-month suspension on Aug. 14 following a tussle over driver permits, sparking public outrage as about 66,000 vehicles were forced off the streets.
Hundreds of thousands of Manila commuters find ride-sharing companies welcome alternatives to notoriously poor and overcrowded buses and trains, run-down taxis and irascible cab drivers.
However, late on Friday, the government’s transport agency said it would lift the ban following an Uber appeal.
It ordered the US firm to pay a fine of 190 million pesos (US$3.7 million) and compensate its drivers for lost earnings.
“The online ride-sharing services of the respondent USI [Uber] will be restored when it has paid the amount of fine and the said financial assistance remitted,” a Philippine Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board resolution said.
Uber said it would comply with the ruling, which also requires it to pay about US$391,000 a day in financial assistance — split between its Philippine drivers — until the company restores its operations.
“We’re working hard to meet the conditions for the lifting of the suspension and hope to resume operations as soon as possible,” it said in a brief statement that did not give a timetable.
The Philippine Department of Transportation last year imposed a moratorium on the processing of applications for ride-sharing services as it studied how to regulate a growing industry.
Officials said that while Southeast Asian rival Grab followed the directive, Uber defied it, while other transport groups accused Uber of acting above the law.
Uber this month said it was accepting applications for vehicles, but was not processing them pending discussions with regulators.
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