German Court Bans Uber's Ridesharing Service
A German regional court on Wednesday issued a ban on online taxi service Uber, adding to the company's troubles in Europe.
Each violation of the order against Uber and its uberPOP online service was subject to a 250,000 euro ($264,825) fine, a three-judge panel of the Frankfurt regional court ruled.
Judge Joachim Nickel said during the hearing that Uber violated German laws on commercial passenger transportation since its drivers did not have the right kinds of licences.
Uber said it will continue to operate services using professional limousine drivers and licensed taxi cab drivers. The company also said it was working on a new alternative ridesharing service designed to comply with the court's interpretations of existing German laws.
Taxi industry groups and some taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly bypasses local licensing and safety regulations by using the Internet to put drivers in touch with passengers.
This is one of more than a dozen lawsuits which have been filed in countries across Europe in recent months against the San Francisco-based company.
Judge Joachim Nickel said during the hearing that Uber violated German laws on commercial passenger transportation since its drivers did not have the right kinds of licences.
Uber said it will continue to operate services using professional limousine drivers and licensed taxi cab drivers. The company also said it was working on a new alternative ridesharing service designed to comply with the court's interpretations of existing German laws.
Taxi industry groups and some taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly bypasses local licensing and safety regulations by using the Internet to put drivers in touch with passengers.
This is one of more than a dozen lawsuits which have been filed in countries across Europe in recent months against the San Francisco-based company.
