Science & Tech

Washington DC to take on Uber, but not in the way you think

District of Columbia taxi drivers protesting in October
District of Columbia taxi drivers protesting in October

The invention of Uber, an app that allows people to book a minicab online, has been met with anger by many local governments and taxi unions in cities around the world.

Many of those cities have either banned the app, or at least threatened to ban it, for fears that it would undercut the original, regulated taxi services.

However, the local government of Washington, DC has taken a different approach and will instead look to compete with Uber by creating its own app.

The 'Universal DC Taxi App' will allow citizens to book one of the city's 7,000 licensed taxis if they are in the area but Uber and other rivals like Lyft and Sidecar will still be allowed to compete.

Beta testing of the app will begin in March, according to The Verge.

More: Uber prices soar as Sydney residents try to flee city

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