Paris: France’s President wants Uber’s cheapest car service shut down and its vehicles seized, but Uber refuses to stop the service until a ruling by the country’s top court. The standoff, and a violence-marred taxi strike that upended Paris travel, reflects larger tensions in France over how to regulate fast-moving technology and stay globally competitive while ensuring labor protections. France’s top security official, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, said on Friday that Uber is facing multiple investigations.
He spoke to RTL radio a day after striking taxi drivers attacked Uber livery cars and setting fire to tires on a major artery around the capital city of Paris.Some taxi drivers continued the protest on Friday, but the strike did not appear to seriously disrupt morning travel around Paris, and no violence was immediately reported. The company’s cheapest service, called UberPop in France, was banned here, but Uber officials insist they will continue their activities until France’s highest court rules on the service.
Hungary may drop Uber, too
Hungary became the latest country on Friday to crack down on ride-booking app Uber, with the government confirming that only licensed taxi drivers would be able to use the service from 2018.
In Budapest, hundreds of drivers took to streets demanding that the government regulate Uber the same way as their own services. Hungary’s government has now approved a new decree laying out technical requirements for cars and licensing rules for drivers providing “personal transport services”.
