Uber Pop says au revoir to France after court rules it ‘illegal’
A French court has banned an Uber service called Uber Pop which enables consumers to car-pool to decrease the cost of journeys.
Taxi drivers held a drive slow protest against Uber on Monday
The announcement came just days after the wider Uber service survive a court ruling, however, sharing scheme Uber Pop will be restricted in France as of January 2015. Furthermore, the firm was to remove any statements likening it to a taxi service.
A spokesperson for the French interior ministry spokesperson told iTELE: “Currently, people who use Uber Pop are not protected if there is an accident. Not only is it illegal to offer this service but additionally for the consumer there is a real danger.”
Following the announcement, Uber tweeted a defiant message: “Demand is very strong this morning, have a good week everyone.”
Good Morning ! Attention, la demande est très forte aujourd'hui, bonne semaine à tous.
— Uber Paris (@Uber_Paris) December 15, 2014
This follows the service being fully banned in Thailand, Spain and India last week.
Additionally, the taxi-hailing app came under fire during Monday’s Sydney hostage siege as it inflated prices by a minimum of to $100 to ferry fleeing consumers from the chaos.