The City of Mississauga has conducted a review of the smartphone taxi app Uber and determined the company needs to get a broker’s licence to operate there.

“Earlier this week, we got the legal opinion” of Uber’s operations, said Mickey Frost, Mississauga’s director of enforcement. “We are in the process of arranging a meeting with Uber. I want them to understand the regulations of the bylaw.”

And if Uber, which began operating in Mississauga in July, chooses not to get a broker’s licence, “we would be actively enforcing the bylaw,” said Frost, but noted no charges have been laid yet.

Uber, a San Francisco-based company, which operates in more than 140 cities, has scoffed at such demands. It argues that it’s not a taxi company, but rather a technology company, and therefore not subject to such regulations.

That’s been its stand as it quickly expands around the world, taking on local authorities and traditional taxi companies. Cases have been mired in the courts, and governments have been scrambling to introduce legislation to block operations.

In Berlin, authorities banned Uber on Wednesday, saying they wouldn’t put riders at risk, with drivers who weren’t vetted or properly insured. It comes with the threat of a 25,000 euros $33,400 (U.S.) fine for non-compliance,

Uber spokeswoman Lisa Hutniak said in an email that the city of Mississauga has asked for a meeting.

“We’re in ongoing dialogue with city officials and are confident that we will find a long-term agreement that allows Uber to continue to serve the community of Mississauga,” she said.

The City of Toronto has fought back, charging Uber with 35 bylaw violations, some dating back to 2012.

The case was back in court again on Monday, but it was put over until October as Uber lawyer Nicholas Staubitz told the justice of the peace that the two sides were still trying negotiate a deal.

While other taxi app companies have also entered this growing marketplace, some are willing to pay for brokerage licences like Hailo, which has a licence to operate in Toronto.

But Uber is quickly becoming a big company with deep pockets, with the specific goal of shaking up the marketplace as quickly as possible. It lets users hail a cab with the smartphone app, bypassing traditional taxi companies or dispatch services.

In June, it closed a funding round that raised $1.2 billion (U.S.) of capital, valuing the company at $17 billion, almost five times higher than the previous round.

It has locked horns with regulators and government agencies around the world, with its argument it is not a taxi or limousine service that has resulted in a slew of cease-and-desist letters and injunctions.

In New York, Uber had come under fire for its surge pricing model, where prices can go up during periods of great demand.

It reached an agreement with the New York attorney general’s office to cap surge pricing during citywide emergencies, in accordance with a city law against price gouging.

“It provides consumers with critical protections to which they are entitled under the law — and it provides Uber with clarity from government about how the law will be applied to its innovative pricing model,” the attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, said in a statement in May.

But in addition to Uber’s taxi and limousine service, it is bringing in new programs including UberX, which is a car-sharing program, where ordinary drivers can pick up passengers, and charge less than taxis.

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As well, it has branched out beyond car services, launching a bike messenger service in New York City, and even a helicopter service this summer to the holiday hotspot in the Hamptons.

It attempted an UberBoat service on Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau in the Muskokas during the Victoria Day and Canada Day weekends, but didn’t get the pickup needed to sustain the business.

With files from the Star’s wire services

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