A fare fight: taxi drivers arrested for assault on Uber rivalThe battle between taxis and Uber escalated on Friday as two Niçois taxi drivers were arrested for physically attacking an Uber counterpart at the airport in Nice. Alain Trapani, the president of Nice’s taxi association, and one of his colleagues were detained for assault, which immediately prompted a large protest by taxi drivers.
Taxi drivers allegedly attacked the Uber driver while he was working at the Nice Airport
According to reports by the AFP, Trapani, who is also vice president of the French Federation for Provincial Taxis (FFTP), verbally and physically attacked an Uber driver who had just picked up a client from the airport. When interviewed by the AFP, the victim recounted the speed with which the situation escalated.
“I found myself surrounded by Trapani and several of his colleagues,” said the Uber driver. “Before I could free myself I had taken a punch to the stomach. He (Trapani) shouted at me and said if I complained he would find and kill me.”
Following the attack, Trapani and one of his colleagues were placed under arrest by police and subsequently charged with assault. This sparked widespread protests from Niçois taxi drivers, who disputed the legality of the Uber driver’s fares.
“We had already spotted the Uber driver several times this morning,” said a Niçois taxi driver to the Nice Matin. “When we saw him again tonight, our colleagues went to see the driver. There was a scuffle and the police jumped on our two colleagues. There are at least seven Uber cars running around the airport so we are obliged to police ourselves.”
In the aftermath of the incident, around 60 drivers demonstrated outside the police station where Trapani was held. The two Niçois men were released on Saturday with a summons to attend court on 2nd July.
Uber continues to cause controversy in the region as taxi drivers claim it offers competition at a low tariff that can not be matched. In addition, drivers who work for Uber do not have to possess one of a limited number of private hire permits, which is seen as an unfair advantage.
For these reasons, the organisation was banned from operating in France from 1st January, but is continuing to function pending an appeal with the European Commission in Brussels.
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