Uber has been forced to announce it will shortly stop operating in Denmark after the government changed the country’s rules concerning taxi regulations.
From next month, the US-based company will be out of business in Denmark after a law was passed requiring cabs to display fare meters and seat occupancy detectors to activate airbags.
The law change was triggered by pressure from taxi driver unions.
Uber is thought to have at least 2,000 drivers in Denmark, where about 300,000 people use the app. Its last day of trading will be April 18.
A petition has been launched to try to save Uber in Denmark.
An Uber spokesman said: “Unfortunately, due to the upcoming changes in regulations, we have been left with no choice but to close the service. We will continue to work with the government in the hope that they will update their proposed regulations and again enable Danes to enjoy the benefits of modern technologies like Uber,” the company said.
The Danish development rounds off a bad few weeks for Uber. Earlier this month the firm lost a High Court case against Transport for London, meaning it failed to block a new rule on language tests for private hire drivers in the city.
In America, chief executive Travis Kalanick remains under a cloud because of a series of scandals and accusations of operating a sexist workplace.
And on Monday it was reported that former UK prime minister David Cameron and his close ally George Osborne were both facing questions about their relationship with the company.