(Bloomberg) — Toronto is asking a court to order the mobilecar-booking service Uber Technologies Inc. to shut down in NorthAmerica's fourth-largest city.

Uber has been operating in Toronto since 2012 without a properlicense, the city of Toronto said yesterday in a statement on itswebsite. The notice cited concerns about Uber's operationsincluding a lack of driver training and vehicle inspections,inadequate insurance and increased traffic from the additional carson the road.

“The city is concerned that Uber's operations pose a seriousrisk to the public, including those who are signing on as drivers,”officials said in the statement.

Uber, which allows users to summon and pay for rides with theirmobile phones, has been bogged down by legal battles and protestsaround the world as it disrupts established taxi and limousineindustries. The startup, which fetched a valuation of $17 billionin a funding round in June, has expanded to more than 220 citiessince it was founded in 2009.

“With Uber, Torontonians have enjoyed real competition andgreater choice,” Xavier Van Chau, a spokesman for Uber, said in ane-mail. “It's disappointing that city bureaucrats have deployedexpensive legal tactics to attempt to halt progress.”

He said the company wants to sit down with city officials to“find a common-sense approach to regulations that promote publicsafety.”

John Tory

John Tory, who was elected mayor of Toronto and will be sworn innext month, said that Uber and other services like it are “here tostay.”

“It is time our regulatory system got in line with evolvingconsumer demands in the 21st century,” Tory said in an e-mailedstatement. “As mayor, I intend to see that it does, while beingfair to all parties, respecting the law, and public safety.”

Toronto also cited price surging as one of the reasons for theapplication for a court injunction. San Francisco-based Ubersometimes charges more based on demand, which can surprise riderswho are used to regulated taxi fares. The company reached a dealwith New York in July to limit these tactics and cap prices duringemergencies and natural disasters.

Separately, an executive at Uber is facing criticism this weekfor saying that a team of opposition researchers should be hired todig up dirt on journalists who scrutinize the company.

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