The Republican National Committee is hosting a
petition on its website supporting the popular ride-sharing app
Uber, which has come under fire from the taxi industry.
The RNC praised Uber's "entrepreneurial spirit" and declared, "Our cities need Uber."
Uber has run into legal hurdles in states and cities across the country, such as Virginia, which has just reached an agreement with the company, according to the
Richmond Times-Dispatch.
In its petition, the RNC notes that the e-hail company is having a tough go against the bureaucracy – and sympathizes.
"[A]cross the country, taxi unions and liberal government bureaucrats are setting up roadblocks, issuing strangling regulations and implementing unnecessary red tape to block Uber from doing business in their cities," the RNC says.
"We must stand up for our free-market principles, entrepreneurial spirit and economic freedom."
Meanwhile,
Forbes is reporting that Uber is anything but hobbled by the controversy.
In a report Tuesday, Forbes said Uber is ultimately aiming at "upending . . . the very idea of car ownership."
The company has announced a test of a carpooling service called UberPool to match riders headed to a similar destination – and offer an additional 40 percent off to each rider, compared with normal prices.
"It starts to be interesting for people in the suburbs. We're extending the transportation revolution beyond city limits. People can literally get rid of their cars," CEO Travis Kalanick told Forbes.