Uber: French Backlash Leads To Service Suspension, NSW Labor Flags Support

Ride-sharing service Uber has certainly rubbed the taxi industry the wrong way in most parts of the world, but taxi operators in France have taken their dislike to a whole new level.

Following near-riots in the streets from angry taxi drivers, Uber has now announced it will suspend some of its operations in France.

The Wall Street Journal reports Uber has agreed to meet the demands of French authorities by putting its service in limbo.

Uber arguably had no choice, as two of its key executives now face criminal charges in France - Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, head of Western Europe, and Thibaud Simphal, head of France. 

They have been ordered to appear on September 30 to face six charges in total including tax evasion, deceptive commercial practices and illicit storage of personal data. 

Yowch. 

For now, Uber’s ‘Uberpop’ service is the focus of most of the attention, while Uber’s other services in France continue to operate.

Uber’s future in France, and perhaps other parts of the world, now lies with the French legal system, as a court decision on the legality of the service is due to be handed down in September.

“Today is a black day for the 500,000 regular users of Uberpop in France, as well as for the drivers that regularly use the platform,” Uber said in a statement.

“It is now up to us to explain what we are doing and the advantages of the Uber platform.”

Even a positive outcome for Uber from the court case may be short-lived, with the office of French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, saying “Uberpop needed to be banned”. The service has also been banned in Spain and Germany.

The French taxi industry welcomed the move, saying it “salutes the work of public authorities”. 

NSW