Uber must leave Italy in 10 days after nationwide ban
Trouble seems to follow Uber wherever it goes. A court in Rome has just banned the ride-hailing service in Italy for contributing to what it says is “unfair competition” faced by the local taxi industry. Uber must now stop promoting its services and cease all operations in the country within 10 days, unless it’s willing to pay a $10,600 fine for each day it remains active after that grace period. While Uber’s $70 billion valuation makes that amount sound like chump change, it hasn’t exactly been profitable and actually bled billions in 2016.
Uber’s situation in Italy is the same problem it typically deals with, albeit on a different day and in a different country. The company faced similar pushback from local taxi associations in France, the UK and other places around the globe, and it’ll no doubt happen again and again. In fact, this isn’t the first court battle it lost in the European country: a couple of years ago, a court in Milan banned the company’s UberPop application.
Nevertheless, the company said in a statement that it’s “shocked” by the court’s decision and will file for an appeal. It added: “Thousands of professional, licensed drivers use the Uber app to make money and provide reliable transportation at the push of a button for Italians.” Until it changes the court’s mind, though, Uber’s Black, Lux, Suv, X , XL, Select and Van phone applications will have to say “ciao” to Italian commuters.
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