The Uber statement said that since the service arrived in Thailand in 2014, it has continuously engaged with the Department of Land Transport (DLT) to clarify it is not a taxi service but an entirely new type of service called ridesharing.

It said there are currently no existing Thai regulations that recognise ridesharing services provided by smartphone applications.

The technology that enables ridesharing is different from existing public transportation, which is Uber cannot register as public transportation, the statement said.

“We are committed to continuing dialogue with DLT authorities to explain what Uber is; but we believe it is time to amend the existing legal framework to accommodate this much needed new technology and realise the full benefits it is bringing to riders, drivers and cities,” it said.

“We hope that Thailand will be able to embrace ridesharing as other countries in the region have, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.”

Uber also invited the public to support the ridesharing by participating in this petition: https://action.uber.org/th/