http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-uber-france-20141216-story.html
December 15, 2014
Uber's low-cost ride-hailing service will be banned in France next
year, the government said Monday as hundreds of taxi drivers blocked
roads around Paris to protest what they say are its unfair business
practices.
A
new law tightening regulations for chauffeured rides will in effect ban
the UberPop service as of Jan. 1, said Pierre-Henry Brandet, spokesman
for France's Interior Ministry.
"Currently,
people who use UberPop are not protected if there is an accident. So
not only is it illegal to offer this service but for the consumer there
is a real danger," Brandet told the BFM television network.
Several
hundred taxis blocked the roads heading from the Paris Charles de
Gaulle Airport, then inched toward the French capital in their latest
protest of the ride-sharing company.
France is the latest of
several places where Uber has faced challenges to its service, which
matches people seeking rides with drivers through a cellphone app.
Traditional taxis say Uber has an unfair advantage because its drivers
don't face the same requirements, insurance and taxes.
On
Friday, a French court stopped short of banning the company but ordered
Uber to make changes, including omitting "all mention suggesting it is
legal" for its drivers to act as taxis — that is, driving around and
waiting for clients.
Uber did not immediately comment.
Purpose
