French taxi drivers clash with police in strike against Uber
"....Uber,
the upstart California-based transport service which says it has one
million users in France, links drivers of private cars with potential
passengers via a smartphone application, and at cheaper rates than
traditional taxis.
Taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly undercuts them, and threatens their jobs by taking customers away from licensed cab companies...."
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:53PM
Taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly undercuts them, and threatens their jobs by taking customers away from licensed cab companies...."
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:53PM
French riot police face demonstrators as striking
taxi drivers block the Boulevard Peripherique near Porte Maillot in
Paris, France, on June 25, 2015. ©AFP
Hundreds
of French taxi drivers have set tires ablaze, blocked traffic across
the country and clashed with police, declaring an indefinite strike to
protest the US online ride-sharing service, UberPOP.
On Thursday, roads around Paris became car parks as angry cabbies blockaded routes to the airport and the main ring road around the capital city.
Television showed scenes of smashed car windscreens and taxi drivers trying to overturn vehicles they said were being used to serve the rival and low-cost UberPop service.
Police in riot gear used tear gas to contain the imbroglio, and restore the traffic flow as thick smoke from burning tires billowed into the sky.
People trying to reach Charles de Gaulle and Orly international airports were caught in the chaos, forcing travelers to walk alongside highways with their bags and causing many to miss their flights at last.
Travelers,
whose cars were blocked in traffic, walk along a freeway with their
baggage while trying to get to Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris,
France, on June 25, 2015. ©EPA
They set up barriers around Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence in southern France, and blocked access to train stations in the two cities.
Tires burn as French taxi drivers protest against UberPOP in the southern city of Marseilles on June 25, 2015. ©AFP
Taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly undercuts them, and threatens their jobs by taking customers away from licensed cab companies.
“UberPOP drivers don’t have the license but they do exactly the same thing as us,” Jean-Luc Refin, a striking taxi driver, said. He added that the business was down 30 percent because of the UberPOP service.
Striking
taxi drivers run onto the Boulevard Peripherique near Porte Maillot in
Paris, France, on June 25, 2015, closing roads and blocking access to
airports. ©AFP
MP/MHB/SS
On Thursday, roads around Paris became car parks as angry cabbies blockaded routes to the airport and the main ring road around the capital city.
Television showed scenes of smashed car windscreens and taxi drivers trying to overturn vehicles they said were being used to serve the rival and low-cost UberPop service.
Police in riot gear used tear gas to contain the imbroglio, and restore the traffic flow as thick smoke from burning tires billowed into the sky.
People trying to reach Charles de Gaulle and Orly international airports were caught in the chaos, forcing travelers to walk alongside highways with their bags and causing many to miss their flights at last.
They set up barriers around Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence in southern France, and blocked access to train stations in the two cities.
Taxi drivers complain that Uber unfairly undercuts them, and threatens their jobs by taking customers away from licensed cab companies.
“UberPOP drivers don’t have the license but they do exactly the same thing as us,” Jean-Luc Refin, a striking taxi driver, said. He added that the business was down 30 percent because of the UberPOP service.
MP/MHB/SS