Uber To Cease Operations In Colombia At Month’s End

Finance Colombia has obtained a statement from international ride sharing company Uber indicating that the company will cease services in Colombia on midnight, January 31. This comes after Colombia’s commercial regulatory authority, the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) ordered Uber to cease operations in Colombia.

Uber has been very popular in Colombia, especially in Bogotá where commercial taxi operations have a very low reputation with passengers.

In addition to over 2 million Uber users, the action, ordered by Colombia’s government, will affect 88,000 drivers.

The statement reads as follows (translated):

In compliance with the surprise ruling produced by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce – SIC- on December 20 (2019), from 0:00 on February 1, 2020, Uber will cease to function in Colombia.

The company considers the decision (by the SIC) arbitrary because it is contrary to the Colombian legal system, violating due process and constitutional rights. For this reason, we immediately appealed this ruling and we are using all the legal resources to defend the right of 2 million users to choose how they move through the cities, and the opportunity of 88,000 driving partners registered in the application to generate additional profits for the sustenance of their families.

Uber respects the law and the decisions issued by the authorities. However, decisions like this, also respond to the absence of regulation of collaborative mobility services through technological platforms in Colombia. Uber was the first company to offer the country an innovative and reliable mobility alternative. Today, six years later, Colombia is the first country in the continent to close the doors to technology.

Uber Eats is not affected by the decision of the SIC. Users will still have access to the Uber Eats application

See also:

• Apparently At War With Alternative Transportation, Duque Administration Orders Liquidation of Picap Ride Hailing Service
• After Threats, Lime Follows Uber As The Latest Alternative Mobility Company To Give Up On Colombia
• Guest Opinion: A Signal of Caution For Direct Investment in Colombia—Über VP of Global Public Policy