Uber, an online ridesharing service, has been making waves around the world by making public transportation easier and more available. That has caused a number of different cab services to worry as their own services are being less and less desired. On June 11th taxi drivers all over Europe forced traffic to a standstill as they clogged up the roads in protest against Uber.
The way that Uber works is it connects people with drivers for hire and ridesharing services to help get them around whatever town they are in. Uber has been moving away from its origin in San Fransico, California and has become available in Europe. The service allows passengers to track where their cars are, reserve them at specific times, and make it possible to pay with credit cards. All of this is possible through a few clicks on a smartphone. The problem that these European cabbies are having with this app is that they say it is violating laws that are meant to protect taxi services.
On the eleventh the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association organized thousands of taxis to block off main roads. Since the app measures how far the passengers are going and pays the driver accordingly, the taxi drivers are arguing that it acts like a meter. This is a problem for taxi drivers because they are the only group legally allowed to have a meter. At the moment the courts are ruling that Uber is acting within the law, but the issue has been taken up to the higher courts to determine if it should be banned or regulated more closely.
Uber released information stating that the day may not have worked out for the taxi service as the signup rate for their app had increased dramitically that day. While the strike showed the level of distrust that professional drivers have towards the app, the numbers seem to indicate that the people much prefer dealing with the app than the taxis.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
