Share

Hamburg seeks to ban Uber ride service

Hamburg - Hamburg has told Uber, a US car service whose smartphone app summons rides at the touch of a button, to stop operating in the German city, adding to resistance the company has faced globally from local regulators and taxi drivers.

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies, valued at $18.2bn in a fundraising last month just four years since its 2010 launch, has touched a raw nerve by threatening to open up a traditionally tightly controlled and licensed market.

Uber customers order and pay for a taxi with its application on their smartphones. Instead of having taxis prowl city streets looking for customers, Uber allows smartphone users to summon a nearby car to pick them up.

Hamburg's transport office sent Uber an injunction on 21 July saying its drivers needed special licenses to transport passengers, a spokesperson for the office said on Wednesday, confirming a report published by German monthly Manager Magazin.

The magazine had said drivers who continued to offer their services via the platform could face fines of €1 000 ($1 300).

Resistance

Uber said its Uber Pop service was not a commercial ride service, rather a platform connecting private car owners with people seeking a ride.

"Drivers riding on Uber Pop are driving their own car," said regional general manager Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty. "The whole platform is about allowing those people to drive around a few hours a week to share the cost of owning a car."

Uber said the Hamburg authorities' decision was not final, definitive or binding and it would continue to offer its services in Germany's second-biggest city while appealing.

Uber has faced resistance in cities around the world. In Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC, Uber and similar companies have faced lawsuits from taxi companies hoping to keep out the competition.

In Europe, taxi drivers protesting against Uber in June created traffic chaos in cities including London and Paris, while South Korea's capital Seoul came out this week saying it wanted to ban the app.

Uber, backed by investors including Goldman Sachs and Google, rebuts the criticism and argues it complies with local regulations.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
908.50
+1.3%
Palladium
1,017.25
+1.5%
Gold
2,221.02
+1.2%
Silver
24.85
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders