What’s new in the taxi world? Our bilingual ‘update’ summarises the international news of the last days and hours. As some of the links are in foreign languages, we recommend using a website translator.
International News
Offices of Paris and Brussels taxi service Uber raided: In Paris and Brussels police units searched the offices of Uber and investigators seized documents. Investigators were looking for proof that the company violates French and Belgian laws.
Paris: http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/18/8240685/uber-france-office-raided-police-uberpop
Brussels: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/Brussels/1.2270103
Is Uber going public? There has been a lot of speculation since the former CFO resigned.
http://qz.com/363756/ubers-cfo-is-leaving/
Quote of the day
“Replacing full-time employment requiring social security contributions with marginal part-time jobs for self-employed workers is hardly desirable.”
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs in Germany is taking a firm stand against Uber’s business model.
Automobile news
E-Taxis in India: In Bengaluru, a new Electrictaxi-service will begin operations next month with an initial fleet of about 100 electric cars.
News from Germany
A German court bans UberPOP: Uber is banned from offering its service UberPOP in Germany. That was the verdict of the District Court in Frankfurt this afternoon.
Reaktion des Klägers (Taxi Deutschland): http://www.presseportal.de/pm/105339/2975654/taxi-deutschland-app-laesst-uber-deutschlandweit-verbieten
Reaktion des Deutschen Taxiverbands BZP: http://www.bzp.org/Content/INFORMATION/Pressemitteilungen/_BZP_zum_Urteil_des_LG_Frankfurt_vom_18.3.2015_.php
News from Switzerland
What happened to the seriously injured taxi driver? Police in the canton of Solothurn found a taxi driver in his car who had to be taken immediately to hospital.
Our last words
Eat or die: UberPop was banned by the authorities in Berlin, but for several weeks now the American company has been offering ‘UberTAXI’. Around 400 Berlin taxi drivers are said to have registered. Uber has set a commission rate of six per cent for the rides and claim that this will remain ‘stable for the time being’. What they mean by ‘for the time being’ can be seen in Houston in the U.S., where the company took up to 26 per cent of the fare in some cases. Uber drivers filed a complaint about this last week. The chances of successfully pursuing this complaint appear to be very low. Uber has significantly higher market shares in Houston than in Berlin.
