Portland Sues Uber's "Illegal, Unregulated Transportation Service"

Just days after launching its ride-sharing service in Portland, OR, Uber Technologies is facing a lawsuit from the city. The city is wasting no time in its efforts to stop Uber’s Portland operations; Transportation Director Leah issued a cease and desist order to Uber on Monday.

The cease and desist order has a passage that may worry some aspiring Uber drivers in the area. “The City will be taking appropriate enforcement action against Uber’s illegal activities and those of its drivers, which may include bringing suit against Uber for injunctive and other relief, imposing civil and criminal penalties, impounding illegally operated for-hire vehicles and any other steps deemed necessary and appropriate to protect the public,” Leah writes in the letter. 

Meanwhile, Uber has been making its case directly to the citizens of Portland by suggesting in a blog post that its interests are aligned with Portland’s citizens. “Supporting Portlanders and their right to Uber is just another way Mayor Hales and city leaders can continue to move PDX forward by creating jobs, reducing DUIs, and providing safe, reliable transportation in the Portland community,” the company writes its post. The comment is followed by a link that lets readers tweet their thoughts on Uber.

So far, efforts to prevent Uber from operating in major cities have met with resistance from citizens who view the ride-sharing service as a potentially less-expensive alternative to traditional cabs. But Uber has continued to generate negative attention due to its business practices after an executive discussed the idea of conducting research on a journalist who was critical of the company.