Second China office of car-hailing service Uber raided by authorities

Authorities in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu raided the local office of car-hailing service Uber on Wednesday, the second such action against the US-based company in the country in a week.

Pictures on Weibo microblogging sites in Chengdu showed uniformed officials apparently inside Uber’s office.

A receptionist at the business centre that houses the office confirmed that officials from the Chengdu commerce and transport bureaus had been in Uber’s office for some hours.

She declined to transfer the phone to Uber staff.

“You know, the officials are still there,” she said, adding that there are three Uber employees working there daily.

Uber was not immediately available for comment, and the Chengdu Municipal Transport Commission was also unavailable.

Last week authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou raided Uber’s office, taking away phones and computers, following a nationwide ban on private cars offering taxi services.

The Guangzhou Municipal Transport Commission released a statement on April 30 saying authorities suspected that Uber, which has its headquarters in San Francisco, did not have the necessary business registration.

But Uber had said last Friday its services in Guangzhou and other cities in the mainland remained operational, and it would work with authorities.

Uber has faced a string of legal obstacles in countries around the world, including India, Spain, Thailand and in its home state of California.

In December, Chongqing police raided a training session organised by Uber which had been attended by more than 20 drivers.