Uber, the popular ride-hailing service, regularly spars with regulators. But on Thursday, the company seems to have found common ground with lawmakers in at least one city.
Uber reached an agreement in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, in which it agreed to temporarily suspend its operations in the city, in a brief hiatus, while local lawmakers hash out rules that will allow the start-up to operate legally in the area.
Under the terms of the new agreement, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Uber will cease to operate within Portland for three months while lawmakers create a regulatory framework under which Uber can operate. If the city has not passed legislation by April 9, Portland will allow Uber to operate legally while regulators continue working to pass a law.
Uber’s battle with Portland officials is a familiar one. The company has consistently entered new markets without permission from lawmakers or city officials, offering its services to people while lobbying legislators to create laws that would regulate the service. Just last week, Portland sued Uber for operating an “illegal, unregulated transportation service” within the city limits.