Taxi drivers across Germany on Wednesday protested against government plans to relax regulations that would allow ride-hailing services such as Uber to operate in the country.
The German Taxi and Rental Car Association (BZP) called it "the largest taxi protest in the history of the federal republic."
Currently, the taxi industry has managed to stave off greater access to the German market for such services. Uber has permission to operate in Berlin, Munich and Dusseldorf, albeit under heavy restrictions, including requiring special licenses for drivers.
The government has proposed relaxing those restrictions. However, the taxi industry has urged Berlin to shelve the reforms, saying it would decimate the livelihoods of taxi drivers.
Read more: Car-sharing usage up in Germany
'Unfair, unregulated situations'
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said the government needs to take a balanced approach towards liberalization.
"We need a good supply of taxis that operate in fair, competitive conditions and with good social standards," Scheuer said at a taxi protest in Berlin, according to his spokesperson. "No one wants unfair, unregulated situations like in other countries."
Uber and other ride-hailing services have been criticized for undermining the heavily-regulated industry, failing to provide safety nets for drivers and, at times, compromising the security of clients.
But last year, Scheuer said Uber and other ride-hailing services provided new opportunities: "We can create new possibilities, especially in rural areas and for older people, with car services and pooling systems."
The minister also acknowledged via Twitter the upcoming protests on Tuesday, thanking a taxi driver for taking him to parliament and including a video of a two-minute conversation between the two in which Scheuer claimed he could meet "six and a half" of the seven demands issued to him by the taxi drivers' association.
Read more: German transport minister ready to welcome Uber by 2021
Every evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Ride-hailing first tested in US cities
In July 2010, Uber went live for the first time in San Francisco before spreading to other American cities. It quickly grew into a global operation, and today offers ride-hailing services in 600 cities. Along with Airbnb, Uber has seized on the rise of smartphone apps to power the sharing economy. But its huge growth has been met with fierce opposition from regulators and traditional taxi firms.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Loved by users, hated by officials
Considered a godsend by many consumers, Uber was accused by licensed taxi drivers of circumventing costly transport regulations to undercut them on price. As the ride-hailing app expanded around the world, so did resistance to its attempts to overtake existing taxi operators. Protests and strikes broke out in dozens of cities, including one in Paris, France, where an Uber vehicle was overturned.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
China venture backfired
Protests were not the only opposition to face Uber when it launched in China in 2014. Having made its name by offering low prices, it struggled to make inroads in the world's second largest economy, and eventually sold out to a well-connected local competitor, just as the Beijing government loosened the regulatory burden on ride-hailing apps. The failed venture cost it some $2 billion.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Regulators get tough
At least nine European countries have banned or restricted Uber's operations, including Germany. The firm was forced to rework its business model after facing the ire of French regulators. In December 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber can be regulated by member states as a taxi service and not, as it argued, as a digital service provider, connecting consumers with drivers.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Not 'fit and proper'
Regulators in London have terminated Uber's license to operate, citing irregularities in screening drivers and reporting serious criminal offenses. The firm is appealing. Amid complaints of labor rights violations, a British labor court ruled in November 2017 that Uber's drivers are employees – and therefore not self-employed – and ordered the company to pay the minimum wage and cover paid leave.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Bro culture comes unstuck
In June 2017, Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick stepped down after its corporate culture came under scrutiny. While the company faced accusations of dishonesty from global regulators, female employees complained of sexual harassment and an overall sexist and hostile culture at the San Francisco-headquartered firm. After an internal investigation, Uber launched a sweeping reorganization.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Drivers to be phased out
Despite the controversies, Uber continues to expand. It now offers car-pooling and food delivery services in several cities. In 2016, it tested the first driverless vehicles in the American city of Pittsburgh. It plans to introduce some 24,000 self-driving cars between 2019 and 2021 although drivers will still sit at the steering wheel, monitoring the vehicle.
-
Uber: The highs and lows of the ride-hailing superstar
Uber takes to the skies
Uber faces even more legal and regulatory hurdles for its next venture, which will allow riders to beat urban traffic jams by booking flying cars that will pick them up from skyports on roofs of office blocks. Dallas, Dubai and Los Angeles have given the go-ahead, involving aircraft that look like a cross between a small plane and a helicopter, with fixed wings and rotors. (Author: Nik Martin)
Author: Nik Martin
ls/msh (dpa, AFP)
