Hollande calls Uber service illegal

PRESIDENT Francois Hollande took a stance in the dispute between Uber Technologies and French taxi drivers, calling the company’s low-cost UberPop ride-hailing service illegal and asking for its termination.

“UberPop must be dismantled and made illegal,” Hollande said at a press conference in Brussels during the European Council summit. “And cars will have to be seized. But we live by the rule of law and the state won’t seize the cars itself, it must be authorised to do so by a court decision.”

French taxi drivers staged a violent protest against Uber last week, blocking access to Paris’s airports and burning tires outside the city. While driving a Paris taxi requires buying a licence that can cost over 100 000 (R1.3 million), there is no such obligation for Uber drivers.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve filed a complaint against the company for organising illegal transportation services, AFP reported.

The protests are specifically against the discount UberPop service, which enables mobilephone users to ride with drivers who might not have a commercial licence.

“There is a problem, that must be solved. It’s a tricky problem: unfair competition by a company,” Hollande said.

“Not respecting the laws, the labour rules, the fiscal rules, that’s illegal.”

Hollande also condemned last week’s violence, calling it “unacceptable” and “unbearable for the image of our country.”

The French justice system had not declared Uber’s service illegal, Uber said in a statement. The San Francisco-based company said violence is “unacceptable”. – Bloomberg