Anti-Uber protests and government restrictions distrupt services across France
On Feb. 9, 2016, Uber halted service in France for four hours—between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The decision was made in response to opposition to Uber’s expansion.
A massive anti-Uber protest was staged in Paris, France on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. 20 people were arrested, and two people were injured when a shuttle bus tried to move past the taxi brigade at Orly airport.
As a result of the Jan. 26 protests, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tightened restrictions on non-taxi chauffeurs. On Jan. 29, 2016, Prime Minister Valls ordered Uber to stop hiring certain drivers, which represent 20 to 30 per cent of the Uber workforce. An estimated 10,000 drivers will be out of work.
Uber has faced increased resistance from taxi groups because of its expansion across France. Uber employees approximately 12,000 drivers, who service approximately 1.4 million users, across the country.
However, Uber has denied taxi union claims regarding an unfair advantage. Instead, spokespersons for Uber have argued that the ride-sharing service provides much needed flexibility in a rigid market. Taxi drivers see their livelihood threatened, as it costs more than €100,000 for a taxi licence in France. Uber drivers, in comparison, face very little financial restriction to provide chauffeur services.
In addition to criticism from taxi drivers, Uber has come under scrutiny for decisions made by two executives. On Sept. 30, 2015, Thibaud Simphal and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty went to trial on charges of illegal taxi operation, commercial deception, and violation of French privacy law by illegally stocking, processing, and recording personal information.
If convicted, Simphal and Gore-Coty face up to five years in prison and a fine of €300,000.
Uber France has already been convicted of commercial deception and fined €150,000 over their UberPop service. Additionally, French police and anti-fraud investigators have fined over 200 Uber drivers.
Spokesman for Uber France Thomas Meister complained that critics are only pointing fingers at Uber, even though there are other similar ride-sharing apps available for French users.
Meister went as far to say that “there are double standards,” and that Uber is critical of the French bureaucracy, calling it outdated and in need of radical reforms to catch up with advances in technology.
“We are not challenging labor law,” said Meister. “We rather put order into the system. We are the symptom of a problem, not responsible for the problem.”
Taxi groups, however, see Uber as sidestepping taxes, licensing fees, while simultaneously endangering passengers as a whole.