Uber has disabled its app in Paris to protest new regulations
REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Parisians won't be able to use Uber between 11am and 3pm today.
The protest has been organised by a group of full-time drivers who use ride-hailing apps like Uber to get business. The drivers have been protesting against the government for five days now.
Thomas Meister, a spokesman for Uber France, told The Verge that this is the first time Uber has shut down its service in support of a driver protest. "We stand by our drivers, it's as simple as that," Meister told The Verge. "We can't let these people down."
The drivers are protesting over a new set of regulations that were introduced by the French government after taxi unions staged a nationwide strike last month.
Following the protests, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls met with the heads of taxi unions and ordered Uber and others to stop hiring salaried drivers.
Several of the drivers at the protest work for a class of small businesses called Loi d'orientation des transports intérieurs (LOTI). LOTI has struck deals with Uber and other ride hailing apps that allow its drivers to use their apps so they can get more business.
Drivers that work for LOTI say they now get up to 70% of their business from Uber and other ride-hailing apps.
The protestors are calling for a moratorium on the regulations.
NOW WATCH: This bottle makes water out of air
- Fresh photographs of Milky Way’s black hole Sgr A* reveal strong, twisted magnetic field similar to M87*
- 8 Lesser-known places to explore in Himachal Pradesh
- Markets end FY24 on buoyant note amid positive global cues
- SRM Contractors IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Rupee falls 6 paise to settle at 83.39 against US dollar