Uber taxi app takes on Canadian cab companies

The popular transportation app Uberis trying to reinvent how Canadians get from one place to another byconnecting drivers with people looking for a ride and, in the process, disrupting a taxi industry that has been slow to adapt to new technology.

Since launching in 2010,Uberhas expanded to over 100 cities around the world, including Montreal and Toronto.By the end of the year, it hopes to be in 170 locations.

But like most companies hoping to disrupt the statusquo,Uberhas faced some roadblocks.

"Uber is atechnology company and a disruptive technology,"Jean-NicolasGuillemette, general manager ofUberMontreal said in an interview on TheLang & O'Leary Exchange."When we enter a market, sometimes it creates some fear, or at least questions from regulators".

In Montreal,Ubermet with cab companies and regulators in an attempt to allay some of those fears.

Pushbackfrom cab companies and regulators in Vancouver and Calgary forcedUberto abandon expansion plansthere. The service has been banned in New Orleans, Miami and Brussels, among other cities.

Meanwhile, users have lashed out against the app's "surge pricing,"which in some cities boosts the cost of a ride based on demand.

Uber also operates much differently depending on the city. In Toronto and Montreal, the service uses only licensed drivers and relieson traditional fare meters.

Watch the full interview above.