Toronto only the latest city in battle with Uber

The City of Toronto is seeking an injunction to block Uber from operating its car service app, making Toronto the latest city in a battle with the tech start-up.

Here’s a look at Uber and its battles around the world:

The Media
Uber is experiencing a public backlash after one of its executives suggested the company should dig up dirt on journalists who give the company bad press. Emil Michael, Uber’s senior vice-president of business, has since apologized for the remarks made at a dinner party. But the remarks were enough to put off high-profile users, like comedian John Hodgman who publicly quit the app on Tuesday.

Boston
Since launching in the U.S. east coast city in 2012, Uber has racked up more than 500,000 active local users, according to co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick. The popularity has drawn the attention of Boston Taxi Drivers Association, which protested outside the company’s offices in May and asked the Police Commissioner to take Uber-X and Uber-XL drivers off the road. Since then, Uber has moved its Boston headquarters to San Francisco — to accommodate more staff.

Ottawa
The City of Ottawa has ticketed at least 14 Uber drivers since the service launched in the nation’s capital in September. The company has hinted it will assist drivers financially with the fines, which can be up to $650. Despite the city’s opposition to the service, it has gained one high-profile fan in federal Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird.

 

Its own users
Tales of discontent with Uber’s “surge pricing” policy are mounting. One woman in Baltimore had to resort to crowd-funding to cover a $362 US charge for a 20-minute cab ride. The company maintains the policy — which translates to higher prices during peak times — helps ensure the service’s reliability and issued a special warning ahead of Halloween, a notoriously busy night for cabs. Even so, enough complaints have been made against the company for the policy that the Better Business Bureau gives them an “F” rating.

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