Uber Technologies Inc said it will suspend its service in Taiwan from Feb. 10, firing the latest salvo in the ride-hailing service company's long-running dispute with the island's authorities.



Uber's move comes after Taiwan recently raised fines against unlicensed ride-sharing services, targeted at Uber, which the company said were the highest in the world. Taiwan has maintained Uber's business is illegal, and at one point last year even considered ordering it to leave the domestic market.

The U.S. company has protested fines against it and defended its model, and in November issued an open letter to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to intervene, appealing to her push to turn Taiwan into a Silicon Valley in Asia.

But the increase in the fines appears to have driven matters to a head.

"We will pause our operations until the president and her government find a solution," Damian Kassabgi, director of Uber's public policy in the Asia-Pacific region, said in an emailed statement.

Uber said there was no timeline for how long the suspension would last. The suspension would not affect UberEATS, its the meal takeaway service that relies primarily on scooters for deliveries and was launched in November last year on the island.