Should Uber be suspended in California? Readers weigh in
A judge said Wednesday that Uber should be suspended and fined $7.3 million for refusing to give California regulators information about its business practices, including accident details and how accessible vehicles are to disabled riders.
Uber's latest run-in with regulators -- this time, in its home state of California -- has prompted a number of supportive and skeptical messages on Twitter.
The tweets come after an administrative judge recommended Wednesday that the ride-sharing giant be suspended from operating in the state and fined $7.3 million.
In the decision, chief administrative law judge Karen V. Clopton of the California Public Utilities Commission said Uber has not complied with state laws that ensure drivers give out rides fairly, regardless of where passengers live or who they are. The company's months-long refusal to provide this data is a violation of a law that legalized ride-hailing firms, she said.
Uber has 30 days to appeal the decision, and the company said it would do that. Any suspension would not go into effect until after an appeal is heard.
”Uber has already provided substantial amounts of data to the California Public Utilities Commission, information we have provided elsewhere with no complaints,” Eva Behrend, Uber spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Going further risks compromising the privacy of individual riders as well as driver-partners.”
Supporters of the ride-sharing company, which connects passengers with drivers through a smartphone app, took to Twitter to voice their frustration with the decision.
Others said they thought the ruling was right.
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