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UBER

First UberPOP driver convicted in Sweden

A Stockholm man has been fined after he was caught driving for US car-sharing service Uber, the first conviction of its kind in Sweden.

First UberPOP driver convicted in Sweden
Uber is available in 60 countries. Photo: TT
The landmark case in Sweden saw the Stockholmer fined 2,500 kronor ($299) for “driving taxi goers without permission and without taxi driving legitimation”, reported the Transportarbetaren union publication. 
 
“This confirms our understanding that UberPop is nothing more than an organized black market taxi service,” Markus Petterson, the secretary of the Swedish Transport Workers union Transports förbund, told the paper. 
 
The controversial initiative has already been banned in several European countries including France and Germany, although some drivers are continuing to offer the technically illegal service. A study earlier this year by Sveriges Radio suggested that three out of ten UberPOP drivers in Sweden have not been paying taxes.
 
The car-sharing service, which is currently active in 60 countries, launched in the Swedish capital in early 2013 and also operates in Gothenburg.
 
Earlier this year its founder Travis Kalanick said the system was set to create 50,000 new jobs in Europe in 2015, and would help take 400,000 cars off the road by encouraging drivers to use shared rides instead.
 
The firm has recently been valued at nearly 40 billion dollars.
 
The car-sharing service Uber faced questions this summer about how closely it vets drivers after a Swedish newspaper reporter managed to enroll with the company without being given any training.

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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.

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. 

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