May 12th, according to the “Washington Post†report, Uber’s grievances with local taxi companies have been buzzing in the global expansion, but a senior court judge of the European Court stated that Uber is more like the transport it has been subverting. The company, not Uber, claims to be a technology company.
The juror’s opinion is that Uber is not its so-called information society service. Uber's policies and application designs influence when and how drivers carry passengers.
"Uber can't be seen as a middleman between the driver and the passenger," wrote the opinion.
This opinion may be another setback for Uber. If the CFA ruling agrees with this view, Uber will face stricter supervision in the future. This situation may also have a wider impact on the so-called "Gig Economy" in Europe. Zero-working economy refers to the economic field composed of freelancers with a small amount of work. People use websites or applications to work online as needed.
The opinion of the adjudicator is advisory in nature and serves as a reference to the Supreme Court decision. The EU Supreme Court will make a final decision later this year.
According to the court's interpretation of the law in the court’s Thursday statement, Uber may be required to obtain a permit to continue operating in Barcelona.
Faced with the lawsuit of the local taxi association, Uber stated that he is only a social information service provider, and this tag can help Uber avoid strict supervision. However, the adjudicator stated that Uber did not meet certain conditions for the regulatory classification.
Uber said on Thursday that he has seen the judge's comments and will wait for the court's final decision.
"It is considered that the transport company will not change the way most EU countries monitor us, as it is today," Uber said in a statement. "However, this will undermine the much-needed reform of outdated laws. The old regulations will prevent millions of Europeans from using the reliable taxi service conveniently."
Uber currently operates in 21 European countries.
Uber launched UberX service in Madrid, Spain in 2016 and was banned by the local government one year later. Unlike regulations in the United States and elsewhere, Spain requires that UberX drivers must be licensed professional drivers, and ordinary private car drivers are not permitted to carry passengers.
Uber also faces similar legal problems in other European countries including Italy, the United Kingdom, and Denmark. In March 2017, the Danish government introduced a new law that requires all taxis and shared service vehicles to install seat sensors, video surveillance and a logistic device. Uber subsequently announced that it would withdraw from the Danish market.
Uber did not start well this year, first being harassed by sexual harassment scandals, followed by the resignation of several senior executives and Wayum’s intellectual property litigation. The CEO was recently investigated by Uber because of Trump's behavior. The company was suspected of using backdoor software to evade law enforcement supervision. (Sun Wenwen)