Through an online petition, Uber is urging Thais to use their voice and sign a petition to fight the potential regulations coming down on the company from the Thai government.

Based upon the dated Motor Vehicles Act B.E.2522 of 1979—an act written up when smartphones, apps and ridesharing technology were foreign to our world—the government is pushing to regulate Uber, potentially hindering the California-based ride-sharing company and similar services from reaching their full potential in Thailand.

Additionally, Uber points out that limiting Uber’s capabilities goes against the Thai government’s own “Thailand 4.0 Initiative,” which strives to increase the country’s technological presence and innovation status in Southeast Asia.    

The company needs at least 30,000 signatures in order to present its petition to the government. As of 7pm on Mar 10, it had achieved over 27,000.

Why is the government trying to hold Uber back? They claim it’s for safety reasons. Government officials point to the law, which states that in order to operate a taxi, a driver must have a public transport driver’s license and a car registered as a taxi.

As most Uber drivers do not meet these requirements, police have been ramping up efforts to attempt to arrest and fine Uber drivers.