Ubers Ride Sharing Service Banned in Spain
- Friday, January 2nd, 2015
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Uber has suspended its UberPop ride-sharing service in Spain.
The shut-down follows a court injuction requested by Association Madrileña Del Taxi in early December, which led to a ruling against Uber.
Uber says it intends to appeal this decision and “look to develop new options to give Spaniards access to safe, reliable rides” – but, in the meantime, its service is “temporarily suspended” in the country.
UberPop, which first came to Spain last April, makes it possible to arrange rides from strangers – for a price. This essentially brings non-licensed drivers in competition with existing taxi services, something that has already led to bans in France and Germany.
Uber argues that the current regulations are anti-competitive, and is encouraging its Spanish users to act as advocates through the hashtag #YoApoyoUber, which translates as I support Uber.