OSLO, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ride-hailing company Uber will put on hold its most important and unlicensed service UberPOP in Norway from the end of October, public broadcaster NRK reported Monday.
"We want to signal that we want to be regulated. We have said that for a long time," said Carl Edvard Endresen, head of Uber in Norway.
The decision shall come into force on Oct. 30 and is connected to the requirement of the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority (ESA) that has asked Norway to change the taxi licence regulations because the current system prevents free competition.
Uber's licensed and high-end services UberBLACK and UberXXL will continue to operate as normal.
The Norwegian Tax Association believes that Uber should have been stopped a long time ago.
"This is illegal business," said Oystein Trevland, chairman of the Norwegian Tax Association, while expressing conviction that Uber will never reach the market where licences "shall pass".
In Uber, on the other hand, there is a belief that Norway will follow ESA's request and remove the limit on the number of licences. In that case, Uber will return with services as usual.
Endresen said that Uber shall use the break to emphasize the seriousness to the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
According to him, there are several things pointing in the direction of a change of regulations, such as government parties supporting their programs, the softening of the licence system and that Norway does not want to go into court process with the ESA.
Uber has earlier proposed automatic reporting of drivers' income to the tax authorities, agreements with organizations offering pension and insurance schemes for drivers, and the drivers to be given official permit for passenger transport.
