Uber says services in Abu Dhabi suspended until ‘further clarity’

Uber suspended services on Saturday after some drivers of car companies working with it were detained in the capital.

The Uber application seen on a smartphone pictured on Zayed the First street in Abu Dhabi. Christopher Pike / The National
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Uber says it will not resume services in the capital until it knows its partners are not at risk, the online car-hailing company said on Tuesday.

Uber suspended services on Saturday after some drivers of car companies working with it were detained in the capital.

“At this point we do not know the reason for these detentions,” it said.

“While no driver partners using the Uber platform were stopped, we did this as a precautionary measure to not put driver partners at potential risk.”

The company said it would not resume services in Abu Dhabi “until further clarity on the matter and reassurances that partners will not be at risk”.

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Services suspension

Why Uber and Careem have suspended operations in Abu Dhabi – video

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Uber, which was launched in Abu Dhabi in December 2013 and in Dubai in September three months earlier, uses drivers from registered limousine operators.

“We are waiting for updates,” David Ham, head of marketing for the Mena region at Uber.com, said at an event in Dubai.

Mr Ham would not comment on the operations but said that relations with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority were good.

Uber, like its local competitor Careem, employs licensed drivers from 18 registered limousine companies. They are required to charge the same prices as those companies.

In March, Uber cut prices in Abu Dhabi by 17 per cent on UberX, the low-cost version of the service.

It meant a fare from Etihad Towers to Marina Mall that would have cost about Dh21 before was reduced to about Dh15.

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