Alaska City Asks Court To Halt Uber
Anchorage, Alaska is taking court action to stop ride-sharing company Uber from operating in the city.
The city requested an injunction and a temporary restraining order against Uber Technologies Inc. in civil superior court on Friday, KTUU reported.
Uber provides a smartphone app that allows people to order rides in privately driven cars instead of taxis.
The entry into the transportation marketplace by companies like Uber and Lyft has left legislators and local officials struggling to catch up with emerging technology that competes with traditional taxis and limos, but with less overhead. The drivers of the new companies, for example, use their personal cars and often do it for extra cash to supplement their income at other jobs.
The service launched in Anchorage just over two weeks ago.
Uber didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about Anchorage’s action that was made through its website on Saturday.
The city declined to comment on the municipality’s filing. But Alaska Yellow Dispatch CEO Sloane Unwin said the local cab company plans to add its name to the request for an injunction.
The city did exactly what it should do to uphold its laws, Unwin said.