Taxi Driver Online

Danish high court convicts, fines Uber driver for lacking taxi permits


An Uber driver in Denmark was convicted on appeal of violating taxi laws on Wednesday and fined 6,000 Danish crowns ($855.10), the latest blow to the ride-hailing app that has stirred protest and legal action worldwide.

Traditional, professional taxi operators regard U.S.-based Uber, which allows customers to book and pay for a taxi by smartphone, as a threat to their livelihoods.

The Danish Uber driver, a male student, was found guilty of failing to meet legal requirements for driving a taxi, the High Court of Eastern Denmark ruled, upholding a conviction issued in July by the Copenhagen City Court.

The High Court said he lacked a permit to drive as an occupation and his car was not registered or licensed as a taxi.

In July, the driver pleaded innocent and argued he had only taken part in car-pooling. It was not immediately known whether he would appeal Friday's verdict to Denmark's Supreme Court.

"We have great respect the Danish system of justice, but are of course deeply disappointed in the verdict," an Uber spokesman told Reuters. "There is a growing recognition of the positive effects of car-pooling, and it is encouraging that modern legislation is being considered in the (Danish) parliament."

In one of many recent legal rulings against Uber, Finland's court of appeal ordered two Uber drivers on Sept. 21 to give up their earnings to the state for not having a valid taxi license.

Earlier this year a French court fined Uber 800,000 euros ($900,000) for running an illegal taxi service with non-professional drivers and slapped smaller fines on two of its executives in the first such criminal case in Europe.

Despite the various operating challenges, Uber has become a highly successful business since its 2009 launch. It is valued at about $62.5 billion and has investors including Goldman Sachs [GS.N] and GV, formerly known as Google Ventures [GOOGL.O].

source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-uber-d ... KKBN13D1CP

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Uber declared an illegal taxi service by Danish high court

Uber has suffered a fresh blow after the Danish high court ruled that it was an illegal taxi service rather than a ridesharing programme.
The judgment is the latest blow for the company which is facing resistance from regulators around the world.

Last year the Telegraph disclosed that Transport for London was planning its own crackdown on Uber with a series of regulations including banning companies from showing cars for hire within a smartphone app.

However the plans were dropped by Boris Johnson, London’s former mayor.

The ruling by the Danish High Court upheld the conviction of six Uber drivers who were found guilty of violating the country’s taxi laws and were fined between 2,000 and 6,000 kroner (£230 to £690) each.

It came amid growing anger among Denmark’s taxi drivers, the Local reported, who complained that they were facing unfair competition.

As a result of the decision, the Copenhagen state prosecutor’s office will be able to bring a case against San Francisco-based Uber itself.

The company, which has already signed up 300,000 customers to its smartphone app in Denmark, said it was very disappointed by the ruling.

Action has also been taken against Uber in France, Belgium and Germany. Elsewhere taxi drivers have taken to the streets to protest against Uber’s presence in a number of cities including Sao Paulo, Rome, Warsaw and Melbourne.

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11 ... igh-court/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin