Ride-sharing app, Uber said yesterday that it has stopped accepting applications for new vehicles as it anticipates further discussions with the Philippines’ Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Uber and rival app Grab are still in dispute with the agency over how much regulation the government has over ride-sharing companies, an issue that sparked separate investigations by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“After getting clarity with the LTFRB today, we would like to remind interested partner applicants that at the moment, Uber is unable to accept applications for new vehicles,” Uber said in a statement released after its meeting with regulators late yesterday.
The LTFRB had asked Uber to explain why it defied an order against accepting new applications but Uber said it stopped activating new vehicles one week before the LTFRB ordered it to do so.
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While it continued to accept applications, Uber said these were not processed because it was “optimistic” that a forward path with regulators could be determined.
“We look forward to our ongoing discussions with the LTFRB to ensure that ride-sharing has a path forward to help improve transportation in our cities,” Uber said.
In July, the LTFRB fined Uber and Grab PHP5 million each for allegedly operating some 50,000 vehicles without proper permits. Still, LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra hopes to resolve the agency’s dispute with ride-sharing services by September.
Republished from ABS-CBN news with edits.
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