Taxi-app service Uber plans Nordic expansion

A smartphone is mounted on the glass of an Uber car in Mumbai, India, on April 3, 2014. (AP / Rafiq Maqbool)

HELSINKI, Finland -- Uber is expanding its app-based taxi and ridesharing services in the Nordic region, to include the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Copenhagen.

The San Francisco-based company, which claims operations in 47 countries, launched its service in the capitals of Finland, Norway and Denmark on Wednesday. It is introducing a pilot of its app service that connects drivers of private cars for ride-sharing to a "restricted group of users."

The company's regional manager Jo Bertram said it had negotiated with authorities to act "within the transport legislation" of each country, after the successful launch of its services in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, last year.

The popular ridesharing service has faced opposition from taxi drivers and authorities in several cities worldwide. It was banned by a Berlin court in August.