Uber has five out of six bases in New York City suspended after failing to hand over trip records
New York City has suspended the majority of Uber bases after the taxi app company refused to hand over transport records.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) demanded that Uber give up electronic records of "the date of trip, time of trip, pick up location, and license numbers".
Five out of six Uber bases were suspended. Thanks to one base remaining open in Grun, Uber can still operate legally in NYC. Uber now faces fines of $200 per base until it hands in the records. The regulator directed Uber to share its data back in October.
The TLC's rules state:
A licensee must truthfully answer all questions and comply with all communications, directives, and summonses from the commission or its representatives.
Uber fought the request, saying the TLC was violating its rights under the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution, and its customers have "a reasonable expectation of privacy". The fourth amendment prohibits unreasonable search and seizures and requires warrants to be sanctioned by judge and be consistent with probable cause.
The taxi app company said it would be unaffected by the changes:
Uber continues to operate legally in New York City, with tens of thousands of partner drivers and hundreds of thousands of riders relying on the Uber platform for economic opportunity and safe, reliable rides. We are continuing a dialogue with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission on these issues.
Uber was recently criticised by US Senator Al Franken for failing to share information and "lack of detail" on privacy policies.