UberPop
Latest
Uber executives on the hook for criminal charges in France
France can bring criminal charges against Uber executives for operating an illegal taxi service, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has ruled. The decision stems from events in 2015, when France's government banned UberPop and said that if Uber managers told drivers to ignore the ban, they'd be committing "a criminal offense." Uber executives defied the ruling, and the situation culminated in a raid on Uber's Paris office and the arrests of Uber France CEO Thibaut Simphal and Uber European GM Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty.
Uber's ride-sharing service is still suspended in France
It sounds like France hasn't softened its stance towards Uber: the country's Constitutional Court has decided uphold a law that led to the banning of UberPOP earlier this year. "POP" is the company's ride-sharing service that uses cars owned and driven by non-professional drivers. Uber fought against authorities' decision, but the court has rejected "all the arguments raised by the company and declares the contested parts of the law as conforming with the Constitution." According to Reuters, it's possible that this decision could also affect a separate criminal case filed against Uber executives Thibaud Simphal and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty for illegally running the ride-sharing service.
Uber suspends UberPOP in France
The conflict between Uber and France takes another turn with the news that the company will suspend UberPOP from 8pm (France time) today. The ride-sharing outfit has suffered plenty of protest from taxi drivers, who have attacked cars and drivers in recent weeks. In order to protect the safety of both the company's personnel and passengers, Uber has agreed to halt operations until at least September 30th. That's when the nation's constitutional court will rule on if a decision to ban the service was legal.
Uber France CEO taken into custody in wake of protests
After days of violent protests and defiance on the part of Uber's French management, two of the company's employees were taken into custody for "illicit activity" today. Uber France CEO Thibaut Simphal and Uber European GM Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty were arrested for running the company's ride-sharing service illegally. TechCrunch reports the pair is also being held under suspicion of "concealing digital documents." Last week, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve took legal action to shut down UberPOP, the service that employs non-professional drivers to provide rides, in response to protests that blocked key transportation hubs.
Uber defiant in the face of French ridesharing crackdown
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today launched a legal action to permanently shut down UberPOP, Uber's non-professional ride service, according to Reuters. The move follows a protest against UberPOP by as many as 3,000 taxi drivers that crippled large sections of the city and both airports. Seven police officers were injured, 70 vehicles damaged and 10 people arrested during the rally. Yesterday, French authorities ordered police to ban UberPOP and seize driver's cars if necessary. However, Uber's general manager in France replied that the measures "changed nothing," and that UberPOP would continue to operate.
UberPOP ban proposed in France as protests block airports
In response to taxi driver's protesting UberPOP by blocking major transportation routes in France, the country's interior minister proposed a nationwide ban on the service. Taxi drivers completely plugged up access to Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports, prompting officials to urge CDG travelers to use train service instead. Cab drivers are angry over unfair competition from the US-based service's unlicensed drivers, blocking not only airport access roads, but train hubs and other major thoroughfares as well. The protests have turned violent in some cases, with riot police being called in to handle demonstrators who were burning tires, overturning vehicles and fighting with other drivers. Uber faces backlash in nearly every European country it enters, drawing the ire of UK taxi drivers and recently agreeing to pay licensing fees in Germany to stay in business.
Court rules that UberPOP cars can still pick you up in Paris
Uber's Paris headquarters were recently raided by 25 policemen, but a court has now ruled that its disputed UberPOP service is actually honky-dory -- for now. The company's low-cost ridesharing option uses non-professional drivers, a practice that French authorities have called unlawful (its other services use professional drivers and are legal). However, the decision is more of a reprieve than a victory for Uber. Paris's Cour d'Appel merely passed the buck to a higher appeals court on whether or not to ban UberPOP. Still, it means Uber can continue to operate the service in Paris until at least June, when a new constitutional court ruling is due.
Dutch police arrest four Uber drivers in Amsterdam
Despite working with authorities to legally launch its private and luxury car services in Amsterdam, Uber's regular taxi service, uberPOP, hasn't enjoyed a very warm welcome. Bloomberg reports that Dutch police yesterday arrested four drivers for using the Uber app to provide taxi services in the city, leaving them with a possible fine of €4,200 euros ($5,300) each. To bring them down, a Ministry of Environment & Infrastructure spokesperson said that four inspection officials posed as passengers and found they were not operating with the correct permits. The company, of course, isn't new to all of this, having been targeted in London, Brussels and numerous German cities in recent months. While Uber believes the action is "unjustified and disproportional," Dutch authorities certainly aren't willing to hang around -- those first four arrests came just four days after uberPOP officially launched in the city.
France is plotting to take Uber's car-tracking tech and hand it over to taxis
While taxi services like Uber may be flat-out unwelcome in Belgium, neighboring France is still trying to figure out how to manage them. Under pressure from traditional cab drivers in the country, a new law was introduced that required the likes of Uber, LeCab and SnapCar to wait 15 minutes before picking people up, giving normal cabs a better shot at landing the business. It didn't survive very long, not that it did much to calm some old-school cabbies anyway. Now, a new report, due to be presented to the French Prime Minister today, suggests disarming the newer services of one of their greatest weapons, and turning it over to regular taxis.
Uber still offering rides in Belgium despite court order
Despite seized vehicles, a court order and possible €10,000 fine (per pickup!), Uber says its UberPOP ride-sharing service remains available in Brussels. In its blog, the company complained that the original lawsuit was filed by Brussels radio taxi companies trying to limit choice, and that "if anyone should be filing lawsuits, it's Brussels consumers." Concluding the truculent post, Uber said it would "continue to provide our car-sharing platform," which we assume means that it'll carry on operations. We'll have to see if it sticks to its guns considering the looming fines, and what its opponents' next move will be. [Image credit: Uber]
Belgium bans Uber, threatens €10,000 fine for each attempted pickup
A Brussels court has declared Uber to be illegal in Belgium, saying the company will be fined €10,000 for every ride. The UberPOP ride-sharing service has been on shaky ground there since its February launch, with the government even seizing vehicles. As in France, taxi drivers are taking umbrage with the company since its drivers don't have to pay for pricey licenses. The French government actually forced Uber chauffeurs to wait 15 minutes before picking up passengers in response, which now seems tame in comparison to Belgium's actions. Uber has yet to comment, but previously said it's been open with the government and called the seizures "disproportionate and targeted." As with Tesla, however, it's learning how hard it is to deal with an entrenched industry.
