In September 2014, ride share service and taxi rival Uber entered the Anchorage market, before departing in March, 2015, paying out a settlement to the state, and inking an agreement not to return until they comply with the law. Less than a year later, they may be plotting a return to Anchorage.
Since January 22, 2016, a poster on Craigslist has begun offering jobs for the company in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area. With over a dozen links, each leading readers to an employment page on Uber’s official website, it could be that the ride-share corp. is looking to reinvest and return to Anchorage; or perhaps someone is posting bogus ads. But if Uber’s return is indeed imminent, it will be an uphill battle for the start-up. Still, it’s a challenge they’ve taken on, and are taking on, in several other regions:
- January 22: (Utah) Uber to resume chopper flights despite sheriff’s order
- January 22: (Toronto) UberTaxi gets a brokerage licence despite ride-sharing controversy
- January 21: (Edmonton) City staff propose per-trip fee to let Uber stay in Edmonton
- January 14: (Miami) Uber Threatens to Pull Out of Miami-Dade Ahead of Commission Discussion
With a willingness to grow, and a burgeoning legal team, it’s clear they’re quite willing to take business risks. An article in Fusion put it this way:
The less simple answer is that lawsuits are the cost of doing business when you’re disrupting a very established and highly regulated industry. Like many a Silicon Valley start-up, Uber’s modus operandi has typically been ‘launch first, work out the kinks later.’
An inquiry to Uber reps had not been returned at the time of publishing.
Sebastian Garrett-Singh 