Uber has announced it has suspended UberPOP in France until further notice.
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Things have been going just a little bit mad for Uber in France lately, with strikes, riots and arrests by taxi drivers, some of it even affecting celebrities (oh no!), and all of it over Uber’s peer-to-peer “UberPOP” service.
There were reports of suspected Uber drivers being “hunted down” by groups of taxi drivers at Charles de Gaulle and Roissy Airports. Alleged Uber limousines were overturned at Charles de Gaulle and Porte Maillo on the outskirts of the French capital.
Earlier this week two Uber executives were arrested for running an illegal taxi company. UberPop’s drivers are comparable to their UberX counterparts in the United States or United Kingdom: normal people with regular cars who do not have an expensive French taxi license.
Simphal said in the interview that the suspension is to preserve safety of Uber’s drivers and to open a dialogue with authorities and show it does take responsibility.
The taxi drivers are raging because, they say, UberPop breaches a new law on hiring vehicles with a driver that entered effect on January 1.
Manuel Valls the Prime Minister of France welcomed that decision but said the licensed taxis in France needed to improve their quality of service, which is often criticized by both foreign visitors and locals alike.
Taxi drivers in France must acquire a license – costing as much as $270,000 in Paris – and have felt betrayed that unlicensed UberPop drivers are allowed to operate freely without having to bear a similar burden.
Born out of the frustration of two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs making an attempt to catch a cab in Paris, Uber’s providers have mushroomed since being launched in 2010 and are provided in nearly 270 cities worldwide.
He praised the drivers for their “calm and exemplary attitude” and said 87% of the drivers who use the service have another job. Moreover, Uber payed the drivers’ fines whenever they were fined until today.
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“But these guys have families to feed, debts”. In April, Uber began to fight back and filed a complaint against France with the European Union claiming the country was violating EU law with its crackdown on the ride-hailing service. With many protests turning into guerrilla warfare and public flipping and burning of Uber cars all over the place, it was only a matter of time until the transportation company gave up. They will have their day in court in September.
