Uber seeks new rules as Hungary considers ban on popular app

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - Uber says it wants to meet with Hungarian authorities seeking to ban the ride-hailing app and help develop new market regulations.

Zoltan Fekete, Uber's operations manager in Hungary, said Monday that "blocking innovation is not a good direction," adding that a ban would benefit the "taxi cartel."

Fekete handed an official of the Ministry of National Development, which oversees transportation, some of the signatures it gathered online in support of the company. He said Uber has 150,000 users in Hungary.

Taxi drivers have held numerous protests against Uber and unlicensed passenger transport. In response, the government last week vowed to ban the Uber app, suspend the license of Uber drivers for up to six months and ban their cars for up to three years.