Ever-growing transportation network app Uber has reached some Asian nations, but authorities in the region are imposing strict measures on their drivers.
As Uber expands in the U.S., the ride-hailing app is reportedly now valued at $51 billion, more than four times than that value of Avis and Hertz combined, two other car rental companies.
In the report on USA Today, Uber has attracted investors because of its "fast-paced growth." Founded in San Francisco in 2009, the car-hailing app is now being used in 58 countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
But some Uber drivers in Asia are facing a hurdle, some of them reportedly arrested and told to stop operations.
Five drivers using Uber in the Asian city of Hong Kong faced legal challenges after they were arrested for allegedly operating with car permits and proper insurance, Tech Crunch recently reported.
Citing a report on the South China Morning Post, the tech website also said two of Uber's offices in the Asian city were raided and some staff members detained.
"Hongkongers have made it clear that they want more, better transportation options in our city, and Uber is deeply committed to making sure they have unrestricted access to safe, reliable, quality options," Uber North Asia spokesperson Harold Li said in the report.
He added that Uber makes sure that all rides are backed by insurance and that their drivers go through a background check. He said they stand with their driver-partners 100 percent and recognize the opportunity to work with authorities to prevent legal breaches.
Tech Crunch further noted that some members of the city's transport workers union have complained a 20 percent drop on their revenue and blamed it on the rise of Uber in Asia.
Uber in the Philippines
With the same reason of revenue drop, licensed regular cab operators in the Philippines are reportedly also looking at the expansion of Uber in Asia as one reason of "unfair competition."
In the report on local news website Rappler, some operators of Uber in the Southeast Asian nation will be apprehended if they will not be able to have the "necessary franchise or provisional authority" from the local regulatory board.
This will reportedly be effective starting August 21.
According to the report, Uber has not applied for accreditation yet as a transportation network company as categorized by the agencies.
"Three months had lapsed by Uber has yet to submit its application for accreditation," the local transport regulator board chairman Winston Ginez said. "I've been receiving public criticism. Despite this, we will continue to implement the law without fear or favor."
