Uber banned from the Philippines after it flouts new driver rules

The ride-hailing firm is suspended for a month after defied a ban on registering new drivers in the Philippines

Uber has run into problems across south east Asia (Reuters)

The Philippines has banned Uber for a month on the orders of a regulatory body in the country.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered the ride hailing firm to “cease and desist” its services in the Philippines after it flouted a ban on new drivers for taxis and ride-hailing firms.

Uber lodged an appeal on Tuesday and continued running its services in the Philippines despite the ban. The transport regulator confirmed on Wednesday it had issued a temporary suspension of Uber in response to the ride-hailing firm.

Uber’s regional general manager has since appeared on Philippines TV in an apology to the regulatory.

"If there's been a misunderstanding in the past, that's on us and I apologise for that misunderstanding", said Michael Brown. "We have every intention to respect the LTFRB,"

In July, the LTRB reportedly requested that both Uber and its ride hailing rival Grab stopped bringing new drivers onto their books in a bid to haul a backlog of ‘new driver’ permits.

Both companies were reportedly fined for allowing unregistered drivers onto the road and allowed to register new drivers – on the condition they didn’t start working until given the go ahead.

It appears Uber may have breached this rule.

Rival firm Grab has reportedly said the ruling by the LTFRB has seen a surge in the number of bookings made on Grab given Uber’s temporary suspension.