Uber wants to make nice with cities. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper)

After a long history skirting municipal regulations and evading local law enforcement, Uber is ready to make peace with cities.

So said Rachel Holt, Uber’s general manager of U.S. and Washington, D.C. operations, in a Politico podcast this week.

“I think we used to go into cities with probably a more antagonistic relationship,” Holt told Politico. “And what we’ve learned, and I think what we’re seeing now, is going in with a lot more partnership.”

Ameliorating its relationship with cities is part of Uber’s broader efforts to repair its reputation. Uber suffered a series of scandals under previous CEO Travis Kalanick, including a federal investigation into software the company developed to avoid law enforcement in cities where the service’s legal status is murky. Controversy eventually led Kalanick to resign and former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi took over as Uber’s chief executive.

In Seattle, Uber is still at war with the city government over a landmark law that allows drivers to unionize like employees.

Listen to Politico’s podcast with Holt in full here.

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