Didn't it seem like everything just settled down in Uber world? The law that allowed Uber to operate in D.C. finally passed in December and the past six months had been smooth sailing. Limo drivers sung the company's praises, the Uber CEO professed his love to the DC Council and Uber's free app made life easier for riders. But noooo, things were apparently going too well for the long-embattled company who may have to shut down its taxi service in two weeks.
We reported that all D.C. cabs need to be able to accept credit card payments by June 1st. In that aspect, Uber seemed to be ahead of the game since its app is entirely credit card based and saves customer information. Well, apparently one of the regulations tied to this credit card acceptance is that these payments go through "payment service providers" integrated with the meter system attached to the cabs' dashboards. That would make it impossible for Uber to take payments via app and they would have to shut down. Uber and the Taxi Cab Commission have two weeks to come to a deal. Do you think that they can work it out?
· Uber Wars Threaten to Reignite Over New Regulations [WaPo]
· Get Ready For Another Fight Between Uber and D.C. Officials [DCist]
· All Uber coverage [CDC]