Ride-hailing app Uber does a small amount of business in Japan. Until now, their drivers have been existing drivers of taxis and private cars for hire. The company has been experimenting with a ride-sharing service in the city of Fukuoka. They thought it would get around regulations by not having passengers pay for their rides. That did not work.

Many cities and entire countries have problems with the more revolutionary product that Uber sells. While using an app to hail a licensed taxi or private car is a growing practice, the aspect of Uber that regulators and taxi drivers alike have an issue with the service where regular people drive other regular people around. Uber’s expansion around the world and even into some taxi-heavy cities like New York hasn’t gone well, as regulators say that peer-to-peer taxi service doesn’t fit existing transportation laws.

Uber Ordered to Halt Ride-Sharing Pilot Program in Japan [Bloomberg]

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