Uber keeps its elbows sharp, pushing limits in Cape Town and other cities
With growth slowing, Uber continues to spar with local officials around the world looking to limit Uber cars on their streets
San Francisco/Cape Town — Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick used to tell investors he liked to keep his company teetering between order and chaos. By the time he left, it was chaos. The company was battered by a slew of scandals, including revelations it had used illicit tactics to handicap competitors and dodge regulators. Almost two years later, under new leadership and set to debut on Friday on Wall Street in the largest US public stock offering since 2014, Uber Technologies is still testing the rule of law. With growth slowing, the company continues to spar with local officials around the world looking to limit Uber cars on their streets. In Cape Town, for example, Uber dominates the market with an estimated 7,000 drivers, most of whom are operating illegally, according to city officials. Uber blames Cape Town’s "broken" system for approving ride-hailing licences. In the US, Uber has used the courts to try to block what it see as unreasonable restrictions on its bus...
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