French taxi drivers lock down Paris in huge anti-Uber protest

[Luiz 4,253]

French taxi drivers today blocked roads to airports and train stations in Paris, as part of a nationwide protest against Uber. Thousands of drivers are expected to participate in today's strike in the French capital and other major cities, where tensions between taxi unions and private car services are running high. Protestors burned tires and turned over cars along major thoroughfares, and there have been reported scuffles between taxi drivers and other chauffeurs. Police in riot gear intervened at one point with tear gas, Reuters reports.

French taxi unions have long held grievances against Uber, and the company's UberPop service, in particular, which relies on a network of non-professional drivers. They argue that enlisting amateur chauffeurs who don't have to pay steep licensing fees gives the San Francisco-based company an unfair competitive advantage. A one-time taxi license fee in France can cost up to €240,000 ($270,000). A representative from the FTI taxi union tells Bloomberg that revenues for French taxi drivers have fallen by between 30 and 40 percent over the past two years, due to increased competition from Uber and other ride-hailing services.

In France, UberPop has been operating in a murky legal space since the beginning of this year, when a new law requiring all chauffeurs to carry licenses and insurance went into effect. French officials have said the service will be illegal under the law, but courts have allowed it to continue pending a ruling on its legality from a constitutional court. The constitutional court began considering the case on Tuesday.

There have been reports today of taxi drivers seeking out and harassing Uber employees near Paris' major airports and along major highways, with the blockade forcing some to walk with their luggage to Charles de Gaulle. The strike also appears to have ensnared Courtney Love Cobain, who tweeted a photo from inside a car, saying it was attacked by protesters on her way from the airport. In subsequent tweets, the musician said protesters took her driver "hostage," forcing her to pay someone to take her away by motorcycle.

Today's strike follows a series of altercations between taxi drivers and Uber chauffeurs across France. A 26-year-old man in Lyon said he was attacked Saturday night after telling a taxi driver he would use Uber, because the driver was on strike and refused to take him. In Strasbourg last week, taxi drivers reportedly posed as Uber customers and led drivers to isolated locations to assault them. French taxi syndicates also staged a major protest against Uber last year, which quickly turned violent.

Uber has faced regulatory hurdles and protests across the globe, largely over its insistence that it should be regulated as a technology company rather than a transportation service. French business daily Les Echos today reported that Uber France has in recent weeks begun encouraging licensed professional drivers to begin using UberPop, in an apparent move to appease regulators. In a statement to the paper, the head of Uber France denied that the change is a pre-emptive move to keep UberPop within the law, though the company has capitulated to regulators in Germany, where it agreed to pay commercial license fees amid an ongoing legal dispute.

A spokesperson from Uber France called the Les Echoes report "accurate" while also noting that "this doesn't mean that we're dropping POP, quite the contrary." The spokesperson also condemned the violence against Uber partners today and called the attacking taxi drivers a small (2,800 out of 55,000 "honest taxis") group of "thugs."

 

http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/25/8844649/french-taxi-driver-protest-uber-pop-paris

[Paco 3,040]

lol at Courtney Love being stuck in her car for over an hour and Kanye hiding at the airport tho  

[Blue Jeans 3,815]

French Taxis drivers are the WORST, they're SO pressed that Uber offers a more reliable and better service than they could ever, instead of bullying the Uber employees, they should focus on making their service better so they can compete with Uber, but no they're so dumb and selfish that they prefer to take such animalistic measures

 

[FATCAT 60,888]

Maybe it's the capitalist coming out in me, but if your businesses are going under in the heat of competition, you need to improve your business, not kill off the competition.

[LeoFameMonster 1,592]

Well maybe the taxi companies should lower their rates, they hike up their prices when gas goes up and don't lower them when it drops.

Taxi cabs need to chill because if they go on strike that means Uber and other transportation outlets will rake in the cash.

Besides some taxi drivers are horrible, mean, anti-social and violent. I heard of so many cab drivers going crazy on passengers and pedestrians, like running people over and sh*t. Just lower your starting fare. Right now in Toronto its nearly $5

[Florian 20,017]

French Taxis drivers are the WORST, they're SO pressed that Uber offers a more reliable and better service than they could ever, instead of bullying the Uber employees, they should focus on making their service better so they can compete with Uber, but no they're so dumb and selfish that they prefer to take such animalistic measures

I agree, BUT a prefectoral decree has been set up forbidding the functioning of UberPOP in Paris. Taxis drivers have the right to complain when Uber drivers still exist in Paris and infringe the law

[super ultra 878]

the same happened in my country like a week ago 

[TiphEret 1,320]

I agree, BUT a prefectoral decree has been set up forbidding the functioning of UberPOP in Paris. Taxis drivers have the right to complain when Uber drivers still exist in Paris and infringe the law

Agreed I think they complain because it's not completely legal... but anyway one thing we are all very skilled in France is protesting no matter what!

They should consider why people are choosing uber instead of them. I have only good experience so far with taxi in Paris but some made some pretty racists comments regarding black and arabs, I was shocked!

Have you heard of the high school kids passing graduation that are signing petition because one question in English was too hard  they even made a video and want to meet the minister! I can't!

[iAstroLeo 14,452]

Then lower the prices, maybe people wouldn't have to take Uber

Tragic people. 

[Florian 20,017]

Have you heard of the high school kids passing graduation that are signing petition because one question in English was too hard  they even made a video and want to meet the minister! I can't!

It's tragic. And I'm scared because these kids are the future of our country. The last years a petition against the Maths exam reached almost 60.000 signatures. It's unbelievable how people are stupid (the exam was not even that hard).

Society goes in a wrong way, people think everything is acquired. They want everything without working enough. The delusion is real. And I can't wait for them to "cope with"  () the reality of our world. 

[TiphEret 1,320]

It's tragic. And I'm scared because these kids are the future of our country. The last years a petition against the Maths exam reached almost 60.000 signatures. It's unbelievable how people are stupid (the exam was not even that hard).

Society goes in a wrong way, people think everything is acquired. They want everything without working enough. The delusion is real. And I can't wait for them to "cope with"  () the reality of our world. 

You took words out of my mouth! It made me laugh but also cried because as you say they are the future. My foreign friends think it's cool we do protest all the time and I try to explain it's good if you have good reasons not if you just feel like complaining because it's raining today! 

They aren't fighting for rights, they are fighting because they were too lazy/ignorant/stupid to answer one ****ing question and they blame it on the government...get yourself together seriously! I also can't wait for them to have a real job and see if they will protest because they have to wake up before 10am!

[LostBoyfriend 1,133]

But I don't know how can someone use Uber,I mean its scary, Any killer can use Uber and kill you, like

Or how does it work?

[Haroon 49,685]

UBERPOP  

But on a serious note, it is unfair because the Uber people aren't having to pay those huge licensing fees, that does need to be sorted out so the playing field is made even at least  Besides that, the taxi drivers need to take their anger out in a more accepting way. Destruction and disturbance in the violent manner that I've just read is not the way forward  

[uo111 5,282]

Uber really takes advantadge. Of the law, their drivers, and their customers. It's really a little rediculous.

And people take their side because they can charge less because of all the shady stuff they do. It's all about the money after all.

[Melech 9,900]

Uber is illegal in germany