São Paulo city council passes bill to ban Uber

After getting into all manner of legal complications in Brazil, car hailing app Uber is now facing the possibility of being banned for good in the largest urban center in South America.

The city council of São Paulo has passed a bill that makes the provision of public transport services by private cars illegal. In practice, this would mean Uber would be banned from operating in the city.

A second vote and the signature of São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad will now be required before the measures take effect.

The bill has passed despite the fact that the service tried to mobilize its local users. According to the company, a petition with about 200,000 signatures calling for the service to be maintained has been forwarded to the city council members.

If the measures become law, drivers caught working through Uber in São Paulo can be fined R$1,700 ($545) and have their cars confiscated.

Back in May, a São Paulo court struck down an injunction from the local taxi drivers' union calling for the suspension of the service throughout the country.

At the time, Uber reiterated that it is "committed with thousands of Brazilian drivers and users that use the platform to earn their livelihoods and get around towns" and that "innovation brings new safer options of urban mobility."

While the measures don't take effect, Uber continues to operate in São Paulo as normal.