Anti-Über Order Struck Down In Colombia By Superior Court of Bogotá

In December of 2019, Über was ordered to cease operations by Colombia’s Superintendence of Commerce as part of an alleged deal between Colombia’s President Ivan Duque and Colombia’s taxi syndicates. Yesterday, the Superior Court of Bogotá overturned that executive branch decision, saying the plaintiff, Cotech Taxis Libres essentially did not have standing, because it did not take action against the ride hailing platform in a timely fashion.

“We will make a detailed review of the ruling to define our next steps, particularly in relation to the model available in Colombia since February this year,” said Über in a statement

The leader of Colombia’s largest taxi cartel Hugo Ospina previously had said proudly in a video he published on Facebook that the administration of President Ivan Duque agreed to shut down Uber and similar platforms in a deal that the taxi syndicates would not join last November’s anti-government protests in exchange for Duque doing their bidding regarding banning alternative mobility such as Picap, Uber, Lime, and others. The Superintendence of Commerce is an executive branch function under the Presidency, but the Superior Court of Bogotá is independent of presidential authority.

“We reiterate the urgency of having clear rules that allow the growth of these sectors powered by technology to be promoted and thus transform Colombia into a more inclusive, safer society with better cities. Our intention will continue to be to maintain an open dialogue with the Colombian government, Congress, local authorities and all stakeholders, in order to share all our global experience to build a modern regulatory framework for all collaborative mobility platforms,” said Über of Colombia in a statement. “We will make a detailed review of the ruling to define our next steps, particularly in relation to the model available in Colombia since February this year.”

“Given the difficult economic situation that we face due to COVID-19, Uber seeks to be an ally of the country to recover the economy and offer opportunities to generate additional profits for thousands of people. Those who have been affected by the crisis find Uber a great alternative at this time of economic recovery,” added the company.