Uber is facing heat from yet another city it operates in, this time receiving a cease and desist letter in Boston. On its blog today, Uber revealed that the letter came from the Division of Standards of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ordering it to stop operating in that area.
According to Uber, at the crux of the matter is that the National Institute of Standards and Technology doesn’t have guidelines in place for GPS location technology. Until it does, the Division of Standards says Uber can’t provide its app to the public. Of course, Uber disagrees, citing “extensive legal research prior to entering the city,” and claiming that it doesn’t violate any local laws or regulations.
This isn’t the first time that Uber has butted heads with a local authority trying to shut it down: It famously received a cease and desist in its San Francisco launch market way back in October 2010. More recently, the Washington, D.C. city council proposed an “Uber Amendment,” which would have set a floor price for private cars. (It later shelved that amendment.)
Boston is one of the older markets that Uber operates in, officially launching its car service there last October. And just as in previous run-ins with local authorities, Uber said it is committed to providing a reliable travel alternative to its customers in the markets it operates in. And while Uber says it “will continue full speed ahead” with its operations in the Greater Boston Area, it also said it is committed to a dialogue with the Division on ensuring that new technology — like, you know, GPS — should be available to improve transportation there.
And here’s an embed of the ruling: