Taxi Drivers in France Shut Down Paris With Massive Uber Protest

As part of a nationwide Uber protest, taxi drivers blocked roads to train stations and airports.

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Complex Original

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The relationship between France and Uber has only grown more complicated this week, with thousands of taxi drivers participating in a nationwide protest of the private car service by blocking roads to train stations and airports in Paris. According toVerge, some of the protestors have proceeded to burn tires and turn over cars — with several reports of "scuffles" between taxi drivers and other chauffeurs.

The main source of contention between France and Uber is the presence of the UberPop service, which employs a network of non-professional drivers. French taxi drivers claim that the utilization of non-professional drivers gives Uber an unfair financial advantage, as their drivers aren't resorted to expensive licensing fees. In the shadow of a new French law, UberPop's future is currently uncertain in the region.

On Thursday morning, Courtney Love Cobain detailed a run-in with Uber protestors wherein her driver was briefly taken hostage before she was forced to pay for an alternate ride:

France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called on police to carry out a ban on UberPop within the capital, with confirmation he had "given instructions" to police in Paris.

 

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