UBER CAB SERVICE BANNED IN GERMANY

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sept 2014 :: RMTnews 6 A German court has issued an injunction barring ridesharing service Uber from operating in Germany, the latest shot in the company's fight with taxi drivers. Frankfurt state court spokesman Arne Hasse said that the decision that Uber cannot offer its services without a specific permit under German transport laws applies nationwide. RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said that the injunction should serve as a wake-up call to London Mayor Boris Johnson and others who seem to be beholden to Uber's financial and corporate power. “The undermining of the Private Hire Laws by apps such as Uber is just another attempt to casualise and weaken the professional and safe licensed taxi trade and the long- established regulations around the right to ply for hire, coming after the exposure of the illegal ranks around London and the drive to destroy the airport services. "Huge and wealthy multi- national corporations are now trying to use their financial clout to bully their way into areas that have been governed by Private Hire Laws in London and other cities around the globe for decades and which have delivered safe, reliable and efficient services for passengers down the years,” he said. The injunction applies pending a full hearing of a suit brought against Uber by Taxi Deutschland, a German cab association that also offers its own taxi-ordering app. The ruling comes after Berlin authorities barred Uber from operating in the capital because of safety concerns. Taxi Deutschland's arguments were in line with those of established cab companies that claim Uber's app-based services, which offer limousines and pick-ups by private drivers, dodge rules that ordinary taxi firms have to abide by. R MT has slammed a campaign to undermine and harass the licensed taxi trade in Leicester which can be tracked all the way to the City Council.” The union identified two key areas which have sparked anger amongst black taxi driver members including allowing private mini-cabs to ply for hire illegally and pick up customers without being pre booked. RMT Leicester taxi branch has reported to the council many times that this is risking the lives of the public as the drivers are uninsured. The union argues that public safety should be absolutely paramount yet the council has refused to act. The lack of ranking provisions for licensed taxis also means that the council’s parking enforcement team is consistently harassing members. Howeverprivate hire mini- cabs continuously park illegally all over the city but the council mainly focuses on putting pressure on the black cab drivers. RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said that it was clear that the council was targeting the black cabs. “RMT is launching a campaign to end the abuse of the ‘plying for hire’ regulations, the proliferation of bogus mini- cab touts and the shocking lack of ranking provisions for the legal and licensed trade which encourages the dangerous abuses of the system. “RMT will stage protests in Leicester if the c continue fails to take our members concerns seriously,” he said. UBER CAB SERVICE BANNED IN GERMANY Union calls on London mayor to halt big- business-backed Uber app in the capital LEICESTER COUNCIL UNDERMINES LICENSED CABS