Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

TAXIS

Hollande wants UberPop gone as cabbies fight on

French president François Hollande has stepped in to condemn the violent protests by taxi drivers and called for UberPop to be taken off the road. A number of taxi drivers continued their strike on Friday.

Published: 26 June 2015 08:25 CEST
Hollande wants UberPop gone as cabbies fight on
French leaders condemned the violence by taxi drivers but also vowed to end UberPop. Photo: AFP
Main events:
 
  • Hollande condemns violence and says UberPop must be declared illegal
  • Interior Minster lodges legal action against Uber for “pursuing an illegal activity”
  • A number of taxi drivers are continuing to protest in western Paris
French President Francois Hollande on Friday condemned violent protests against ride-booking app Uber after taxi drivers
set fire to vehicles and blocked highways but he said the service should be taken off the road.
 
Hollande described the demonstrations, in which US rocker Courtney Love was caught up, as “unacceptable violence in a democracy, in a country like France.”
 
But Hollande, attending an EU leaders summit in Brussels, added: “UberPop should be dissolved and declared illegal.”
 
The service has been illegal in France since January, but the law has proved difficult to enforce and it continues to operate.
 
Around 3,000 cabbies took part in the strike Thursday, blocking access to the capital's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, and preventing cars reaching train stations around the country.
 
Ten people were arrested, seven police officers were injured and 70 vehicles were damaged in clashes between Uber drivers and taxi drivers.
 
Taxi drivers are furious at what they see as unfair competition from Uber, which puts customers in touch with private drivers at prices lower than those of traditional taxis.
 
 
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after meeting taxi drivers' unions following a fraught day: “UberPop is an illegal service, it must be closed down.”
 
Until that was done, “the vehicles of UberPop drivers should be systematically impounded when they are openly breaking the law”, the minister said.
 
“Governing the country will never be done by the law of the jungle,” Cazeneuve added.
 
 
On Friday Cazeneuve launched legal action against Uber for continuing an “illegal activity”. The minister denounced the “cynical and arrogant” attitude of the company, which he said operated an “underground and clandestine economy”
 
One of the taxi drivers' representatives, Ibrahima Sylla, described the minister's words as “promises, again” and said the drivers were considering continuing the demonstrations.
 
“What happened on Thursday was an SOS, an alarm cry. We are dying and the state must take its responsibilities,” before calling on French taxi drivers to continue the movement.
 
Most cabbies heeded their unions' calls to return to work on Friday, but around 40 die-hards remained at the busy Porte Maillot junction in western Paris.
 
“The drivers decided to keep up the action because we didn't get anything, only some things to regulate the (drivers) on the black market, which is in any case banned,” said Khalid, a driver.
 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

COST OF LIVING

Uber poised for Swiss expansion

Long plagued by legal issues and driver shortages, ride sharing service Uber is set to expand into more of Switzerland’s French-speaking towns.

Published: 8 July 2020 11:36 CEST
Uber poised for Swiss expansion
Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

Long plagued by legal issues and driver shortages, ride sharing service Uber is set to expand into more of Switzerland’s French-speaking towns. 

The ride sharing service announced on Wednesday it would expand into the predominantly French-speaking towns of Fribourg, Sion and Yverdon. 

A spokesman for the American service told Swiss media outlet Watson the expansion was fuelled by demand. 

In Sion and Fribourg, while rides can be booked via the app, they will be carried out by taxis in order to comply with local regulations. 

“Our launch will enable taxi drivers to increase the use of their vehicles, win new customers and thus generate more sales thanks to our technology,” said Jean-Pascal Aribot, Director of Uber Switzerland. 

Uber currently operates freely in the German-speaking cities of Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Winterthur and Zurich. 

Legal issues and driver shortages

Uber’s expansion in Switzerland has been slower than in some neighbouring countries.  

Drivers have complained that Switzerland’s high cost of living makes it more difficult to make ends meet, while the company has also been plagued by frequent legal issues. 

The service is currently banned in Geneva due to concerns about payments for drivers, although the ban has been suspended regarding an appeal. 

Geneva classifies Uber as an employer, meaning that drivers should be entitled to benefits including paid holidays, sick leave and pensions. 

The company disputes this and says its drivers are independent contractors. 

In February, voters in Zurich approved a plan to place more restrictions on Uber in the canton. 

The new restrictions include that drivers need to register with cantonal authorities and place obvious signs on their vehicles to distinguish them from regular cars.

The vote, which took place only in the canton of Zurich as part of the February 9 round of referendums, sought to bring regulation for Uber and other ride-sharing services in line with taxis and other limousine services. 

A total of 51.6 percent of voters approved the initiative, while 42.4 percent were opposed. 

The initiative also ‘cantonalised’ taxi regulation, meaning that the municipalities of Zurich will no longer set conditions for taxi companies. Unlike previously, taxis are now allowed to use ranks anywhere in the canton. 

SHOW COMMENTS