SHARE
COPY LINK

GENEVA

Uber gets back on the road in Geneva after ban

The Swiss canton of Geneva has given the green light for Uber to operate, lifting a temporary ban over a labour law dispute. Drivers will now be considered employees rather than contractors, giving them better social protection.

The ride-hailing service, Uber, has been authorised to operate once again in the Swiss canton of Geneva.
The ride-hailing service, Uber, has been authorised to operate once again in the Swiss canton of Geneva. (Photo by SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Geneva has lifted a temporary ban on Uber cabs after reaching an agreement with the ride-hailing giant, both sides announced Friday.

A week ago, Switzerland’s highest court agreed that Uber drivers should be considered employees and not independent contractors, backing a decision by the Geneva canton to temporarily ban the US firm’s ride-hailing activities.

Under the new deal, Uber drivers in Geneva will now be employed by “Swiss partner companies”, and should be able to return to work over the weekend, Uber said in a statement.

“We are fully committed to supporting our partner companies and their drivers and to allowing users once again to travel safely at an affordable price,” said Uber Switzerland’s general manager, Jean Pascal Aribot.

Last week, Switzerland’s Federal Court rejected Uber’s appeal against a 2019 ruling in the Geneva canton classifying its drivers as employees, and ordering it to halt its activities unless it pays their social charges.

In the rest of Switzerland, Uber does not, for the moment, plan to set up “such a binding model”, as the “vast majority” of Uber drivers in the country “wish to remain independent”.

Uber believes that only some of the hundreds of drivers who worked via the app in Geneva before the ban would return under the new system.

“We plan to relaunch our cab services this weekend, as soon as we have enough drivers on board by becoming employees of one of our partner companies,” Uber said, citing a gradual return over the coming days.

Under their new status, drivers will get the Geneva minimum wage of 23.27 Swiss francs ($23.55) an hour — one of the highest in the world — while their new employers will have to pay their social security charges.

Member comments

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

GENEVA

Geneva auto show closes shop after 119 years

The more than century-old Geneva International Motor Show will be cancelled for good following waning interest from automakers in what was once an unmissable industry event, organisers said Friday.

Geneva auto show closes shop after 119 years

The Qatar edition of the event, however, will continue and take place again in 2025. The first Geneva auto show took place in 1905, attracting 17,000 visitors and had two more editions before a hiatus due to an economic crisis and World War I.

It resumed in 1923 and reached a peak in 2005, when nearly 750,000 visitors attended the event.

The Covid pandemic shut down the show again for four years.

When it returned earlier this year, there were 37 exhibitors and 168,000 visitors — well below previous editions. In 2019, the year before Covid, it attracted 602,000 visitors and 184 exhibitors.

Alexandre de Senarclens, president of the permanent committee of the foundation behind the event, said cancelling the show for good was an “extremely regrettable decision”.

“The lack of interest shown by manufacturers in the Geneva Salon in a difficult industry context, the competition from the Paris and Munich shows which are favoured by their domestic industry, and the investment levels required to maintain such a show, sound the final blow,” he added.

Organisers said they had asked cantonal authorities to dissolve the foundation.

“There are too many uncertainties linked to the automotive industry and the eroded attractiveness of the major European shows to take the risk of investing further into the future,” the organisation said in a statement.

But the Qatar edition “continues its journey” after a “successful” first edition last year, the statement said.

The next Geneva International Motor Show Qatar will take place in Doha in November 2025.

SHOW COMMENTS