Uber's operations may be back to normal after police raid, but its number of affiliated drivers seemed to have decreased. (Photo : Reuters)
The operations of taxi-hailing firm Uber seemed to have returned to normal after last week’s nighttime raid of Guangazhou authorities to its office, journal Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Monday.
The company was also said to have seen a decrease in its number of drivers, which resulted in very busy schedules particularly at rush hours.
The report also stated that Uber's special for-drivers platform was temporarily taken offline.
However, industry experts claim that this drop in the driver statistic of Uber will only be temporary, predicting that once the issue has died down, those who feared to face fines and disappeared will likely come back.
On Thursday last week, the firm's Guangzhou-based office was raided by the Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) officials, police officers and the city's public security bureau (PSB). Confiscating phones as well as other equipment, the authorities alleged that the company is operating illegally.
For the recent period, speculations about Uber doing transactions without due business permit have surfaced. And the question whether this issue will die down is yet to be answered.
An official speaking in behalf of the Guangzhou Administration for Industry and Commerce told the journal that releasing any details of the ongoing investigation on Uber would be "inconvenient."
Meanwhile, a representative from Uber remarked through Tech in Asia after the raid that they have "maintained open channels of communications and are working closely with local authorities in cooperation."
"Uber prides itself on providing efficient and convenient transportation options for riders to get from point to point, helping cities reduce congestion pollution," the official added.
