In a statement Uber said: “This is a temporary suspension and we will let you know of any further updates”. Both are allowed to work with only licensed drivers from 18 registered limousine companies, and they can’t compete directly with the city’s taxi companies.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Firefighters in Abu Dhabi are battling a blaze that broke out in a high-rise building under construction in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Citing “an operations manager whose company provides limousine services to Uber and Careem”, Emirates newspaper The National reported around 50 drivers were arrested over the weekend. “Until we have further clarification on the situation, Careem has made a decision to temporarily limit services in Abu Dhabi to avoid any inconvenience this may cause” customers and drivers.
Uber said Monday it has suspended its on-demand car-riding services in Abu Dhabi for “unforeseen circumstances” that media reports suggested were over a pricing dispute with the taxi regulator. Uber is said to have suspended its service in the city after some drivers working for Careem were detained.
The company said its operations in nearby Dubai continued as normal.
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Uber, which raised $3.5 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, entered the Middle East in 2013. Moreover, ride hailing companies can not directly compete with taxi companies in the country. In the United Kingdom, two drivers have approached an employment tribunal, asking for holiday and sick pay from the company, while in Taiwan, Uber is facing a ban from the officials, who said the firm was not operating lawfully. It believes that it’s one of the fastest growing markets in the world and has plans to invest more than $250 million in the region to improve its services and add more cars to its fleet in the region.
