So much for UberGreen: Wuhan authorities order Uber to stop or face fines

The hybrid-electric car Uber was going to use in Wuhan.

It was just last week that Uber announced the launch of its new UberGreen electric car service in China with the rollout of a trial of ten electric cars in Wuhan. But the initiative is already facing trouble, with Wuhan media reporting that the city’s transportation committee has ordered Uber to cease operations immediately or face the highest fines allowable under city law.

After the announcement of UberGreen, authorities apparently investigated and determined that it was a private-car taxi service. The problem, as usual, is that authorities say Uber isn’t properly registered and licensed to operate in the passenger transportation industry. The company will now face fines of RMB 10,000 (US$1,613) for subsequent infractions.

Wuhan authorities also ordered Uber to clean up its act in other areas, including ceasing any subsidies or discounts it offers that might affect the normal operations of the city’s taxi industry.

The response to the news in Chinese tech circles has been unsurprisingly critical of the government’s motives. On Sina Tech, one of the country’s most popular tech blogs, the news has already attracted nearly 5,000 comments, and the most popular among them are virtually all opposed to what they see as the government meddling unnecessarily with the market.