Ride-booking app Uber said on Thursday that a $7.3 million California fine handed to one of its subsidiaries for not turning over internal information about rides was "deeply disappointing".

Uber was accused of failing to provide California state regulators with certain information, particularly on whether vehicles were equipped for handicapped passengers, the ride requests that drivers turned down and the cause of each accident involving an Uber driver.

The controversial ride app, which is headquartered in California, said it will appeal the fine, which was announced on Wednesday by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said Uber "has already provided substantial amounts of data to the California Public Utilities Commission".

"Going further risks compromising the privacy of individual riders as well as driver-partners," she said, adding that the information requested "will not improve public safety".

"This ruling and the associated fine are deeply disappointing," she said.

In a separate development, Uber praised Mexico City on Thursday for becoming the first city in Latin America, and the largest in the world, to issue official regulations for such smartphone-based services.

Uber's director of communications for Mexico and Central America, Luis De Uriarte, said the company doesn't mind paying 1.5 percent of the proceeds from each ride into a transportation improvement fund.

"This is great news for Uber and, we believe, for Mexico City," said De Uriarte. "This is an innovative regulation that embraces technology for the benefit of the public."

AFP - AP

(China Daily 07/18/2015 page9)