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Uber takes on taxi drivers with free ice cream

The people behind the mobile taxi app Uber have gone on a charm offensive, offering free ice creams on Friday afternoon to users in Barcelona, a city where use of the controversial app is currently banned.

From 1pm to 7pm, Uber will be delivering free ice creams to its users in Barcelona, along with a "small gift", the company said in a statement.

The campaign #UberIceCream is being run in 144 cities around but Barcelona is the only Spanish city featured.

The initiative is the latest bid by the company to spruce up its image in the Catalan capital.

The Spanish region of Catalonia recently announced it would fine drivers using the popular app up to €6,000 ($8,000).

Taxi drivers argue the app threatens their livelihood, and have responded with a series of strikes.

Spain's national government in Madrid originally touted fines for Uber users but backed down after the European Union said planned penalties were too harsh.

Uber was seeking open dialogue with Spanish authorities, the company told The Local recently.

"We comply with all applicable tax laws in each of the markets we operate in," the company told The Local recently, adding that they believed there was room of everyone in the transport market.

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TAXI

Paris drivers fined and banned after tourists charged €230 for airport taxi trip

Three Paris drivers have been fined and banned from driving after tourists were charged €230 for a taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport into the city, in a case brought by Paris taxi authorities to try and deter unlicensed drivers from performing this type of scam.

Paris drivers fined and banned after tourists charged €230 for airport taxi trip
Illustration photo: Philippe Lopez/AFP

Taxi fees from the airport into the city are capped at €53 for the Right Bank and €58 for the Left Bank, but tourists are frequently ripped off by unlicensed drivers who operate at airports and large train stations.

The latest case involved passengers who arrived from Hong Kong on January 1st and were charged €230 for the trip into the city centre.

This time the taxi drivers’ association L’association les Nouveaux Taxis Parisiens brought a civil action against the scammers, fed up with the overcharging which, they say, brings their profession into disrepute.

READ ALSO What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris

Three men were brought before the court over the scam and produced a convoluted tale of extra charges for clearing up vomit from drunk passengers, which the Hong Kong tourists denied, while one man claimed he had only been at the airport to buy Nespresso capsules, to which the magistrate replied ‘Mmmmmm’, according to French newspaper Le Parisien

The driver was fined €200 for overcharging and banned from driving for a year, while his accomplice was banned from driving for six months. Both were ordered to pay €1,000 in damages. A third man, who was not present but whose legitimate taxi license the unlicensed driver was using, was given a €1,000 suspended fine and ordered to pay €1,000 in damages for complicity in the illegal practice of the profession.

Jean Barriera, leader of the taxi drivers’ association, said afterwards that he did not think the sentences were severe enough, adding that he had brought the case: “To defend the image of cabs. It’s the whole profession that these individuals sully.”

Paris, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Toulouse and several other French cities have fixed rates for taxis, you can find the full list here

However these only apply to official taxis. If you are using a VTC service like Uber the price will vary depending on availability, although it will be fixed before you get into the car.

Unlicensed drivers are common at airports and stations including Gare du Nord. French taxi drivers are not allowed to solicit for fares, so if someone approaches you and offers you a taxi they are probably unlicensed – instead go to the taxi rank to find an official vehicle.

Click here for the full list of rates and what you need to know about taking a taxi in France.

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