“We’re not in the business of censoring the Internet,” Science and Technology Minister Mauricio Jenkins told reporters after the government refused to block Uber in Costa Rica.
Uber said it plans to hire 300 people and invest $3.5 million in Costa Rica by the end of 2016. But the government received the news with a cold shoulder.
The van service for groups of between seven and 14 is aimed at capturing families and larger groups of tourists looking to take day trips from San José.
It was too good to last. Uber’s "surge pricing" — a multiplier added to the fare depending on demand for rides — started in Costa Rica Thursday, according to a post from the ride-hailing service.
Taxi drivers blocked a central street in Montevideo on Friday to prevent ride-sharing service Uber from training new drivers as it seeks to roll out service in Uruguay.
Controversial ride-sharing service Uber faces a crackdown by governments around the world and protests by angry taxi drivers, but the company insists it is driving forward into the future.
