An administrative law judge of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) fined Uber $7.3 million on Wednesday for withholding important information from the CPUC.
The ruling stated that the ride-sharing service failed to provide California regulators information about its business practices, including the number of rides requested, driver safety data and accessibility information about its vehicles, according to CNN.
The ruling gives Uber 30 days to pay the fine or lose its operating license in California.
Uber's app allows passengers to request a ride directly from drivers in their area and gives drivers the option to decline the request. The CPUC wants to see if drivers are accepting fares evenly.
The company argued that it provided enough information to the CPUC. The judge acknowledged that while Uber did provide some of the information, they still withheld the most important parts, according to The Huffington Post.
Uber responded to the ruling and fine by calling them "deeply disappointing."
"Uber has already provided substantial amounts of data to the California Public Utilities Commission, information we have provided elsewhere with no complaints," the company told Re/code. "Going further risks compromising the privacy of individual riders as well as driver-partners. These CPUC requests are also beyond the remit of the commission and will not improve public safety."
The firm plans to appeal the decision, thus preventing the suspension from taking effect until after the appeal is decided.
If the ruling holds, Uber must either submit the relevant data or pay the $7.3 million fine to continue operating in California.
