Four men torch Uber car in Nairobi on day service launched

March 23, 2016 1:13 PM

"The driver, sensing danger, escaped unhurt and four men torched the car," Japheth Koome, Nairobi's police commander said.

The logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone over a reserved lane for taxis in a street is seen in this December 10, 2014 file photo illustration. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/Illustration/Files

Four men torched a car from the ride hailing company Uber in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, police said, on the same day Uber launched its services in Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city.

The driver escaped unhurt, police said. This is the second attack against Uber cars in Kenya in two months.

Uber drivers around the world have faced threats, protests and legal action from regular taxi operators, who say Uber's cheaper fares and business model are driving them out of business.

In Kenya, regular cab drivers last month threatened to paralyse transport if the government did ban Uber from Nairobi within seven days. The government refused, but said it was drafting new laws on the regulation of online taxi operators.

"The driver, sensing danger, escaped unhurt and four men torched the car," Japheth Koome, Nairobi's police commander said.

In a statement emailed from Uber's office in South Africa, the company said it was in "open dialogue" with the police over the attack.

The company now operates in nine cities in sub-Saharan Africa, including in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.

An Uber driver was attacked and his car was torched in Kenya last month, unnerving many of the company's drivers.