The UberPop car service of Uber Technologies Inc. is to be banned by France only three days after a bid to block the companys smartphone application was rejected by a Paris judge. The ban is to take effect on January 1st 2015.
Currently the U.S.-based company has about 500 000 regular customers in France, and the capital of the country was the first city in Europe where the service of Uber was presented.
Pierre-Henry Brandet, a spokesman of Interior Ministry, commented in a telephone interview on Monday, cited by the Financial Times: “Not only is it illegal to offer this [UberPop] service but additionally for the consumer there is a real danger.” As reported by Bloomberg, Mr. Brandet also said: “We are banning the service where someone can be a driver while not having the training, the background checks and basic requirements. Car-sharing is allowed but not this service.”
The application service has been using drivers without professional licenses, which is one of the reasons why regulatory authorities in the country have hit Uber, blocking it from operating its service. The move by the regulators comes only several days after the commercial court of France refused to ban the service on jurisdictional grounds.
The UberPop service, offered by the U.S.-based company, has been attracting customers with lower cab expenses. A demonstration against “unfair competition” by three groups took place on Monday after the French court initially decided not to ban UberPop. The application provides individuals with the opportunity to register as a driver using their own private vehicle. This is the lowest-cost fare option that Uber offers.
The demonstration was planned by three Parisian taxi unions and now the Interior Ministrys decision to ban Ubers application comes as a response to the planned action.
Taking into consideration the possibility for individuals, who do not own a driving license, to register as drivers, is one of the main reasons why the application triggered concerns.
As reported by the Financial Times, a spokesperson of the U.S.-based Uber also commented on the matter, saying: “We continue to have an open dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and believe we share the same objectives, namely to integrate innovative solutions into the mobility mix in France as well as to keep Paris moving, offering different safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for people.”
The other services of the U.S.-based company, including its UberX application, which requires an obligatory driving license, were not put under any risk by the decision of the Parisian court. The countrys Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron, said that there is no threat of banning the entire company and its services in France.
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