Uber suspends service in Barcelona as city passes new regulations

Ride-hailing service Uber is suspending service in Barcelona after regional authorities passed regulations that would limit how it operates in the city, Reuters reported. The Catalan government ruled that ride-hailing services could only pick up passengers after a delay of at least 15 minutes from the time they were booked. “The new restrictions approved by the Catalan government leave us with no choice but to suspend UberX while we assess our future in Barcelona,” an Uber spokesman said. Uber began offering its UberX service, which uses professional drivers, last March. The new regulations were imposed under pressure from taxi drivers, who held strikes in Barcelona and remain on strike in the Spanish capital, Madrid.