Italian court bans unlicensed taxi services including Uber

Unlicensed taxi services have been banned by a court in Italy, including the popular Uber on Tuesday. Uber is set to appeal against the decision, emphasizing that there should be fairness in the control of technologies.

COURT ORDER FOR UBER

According to a report, the ruling was based on the lobbying of local taxi associations at a court in Milan saying that they are heavily regulated than ride-sharing services such as Uber, whose drivers are unlicensed, resulting in unfair competition. Uber is a US-owned transport service startup where customers can conveniently get a ride at a fairer price with the use of their mobile phones via the Uber Pop app.

Uber was given 15 weeks to abide by the decision or else pay a fine of 20,000 Euros for each day's delay in conforming to the court decision.

IS IT OVER?

Although Uber says they respect the order, the company is disappointed with the decision that they plan to file an appeal. Zac de Kievit, legal director of Uber Europe, told a source that he is more worried about drivers who will lose their jobs. He insisted that their business is different from taxi drivers who pick up passengers on the streets and emphasized that they are a technology company whose customers are only users of the application. He also mentioned the European Commission's statement that member states should not apply equality in the regulation of technologies.

Meanwhile, UberBlack which has licensed drivers, will still continue to operate in Milan and Rome.

According to another report, Uber also argued that the court's order was removing the rights of citizens to work, citing the country's high unemployment rate. Yet, it said that Uber Pop may still be shut down despite its petition.

Uber app is facing regulatory challenges around the world, including a ban in the Netherlands and Spain. It currently appeals a ban order in France and Germany.