Asger Havstein EriksenTEMA
App-økonomi
From being at odds with the law in 72 countries, cities and states around the world in February this year, Uber is now at odds with the law in 86 places, a new study reveals. See the world map here.
The online transportation network company, Uber, is at odds with the law in 86 countries, and it has accumulated 48 driving bans, 22 fines and 16 court cases.
This is revealed by a report that the professional journal Fagbladet 3F has prepared, showing which countries, cities and states around the world where Uber has received fines, driving bans or where there are court cases in progress or pending court cases.
Therefore, the number of locations where Uber is at odds with the authorities has grown since February, where a similar report counted 72 such places around the world. In Northern Europe, Sweden, Norway and Finland - just like Denmark - have declared war on Uber's business model.
In July, the Copenhagen City Court ruled that the Uber drivers were driving illegally and handed out fines to six Uber drivers ranging from DKK 2,000 to DKK 6,000 for violating the taxi laws. Despite this ruling, Uber continues to drive around in Copenhagen as if nothing has happened.
Denmark is not aloneFagbladet 3F has made the report on Uber's conflicts with the law on the basis of a report from ITF, the International Transport Worker's Federation, in London.
Mac Urata, the Section Secretary of ITF, accuses Uber of removing real jobs in the taxi industry and undermining fundamental employee rights and also sees a common denominator in Uber's methods around the world.
- Platforms such as Uber undermine job security and sustainability in the traditional, regulated taxi businesses. We see a lot of reports which indicate that Uber drivers do not earn a minimum wage, and in some cases, do not make any money at all on some of their shifts, Mac Urata says.
ITF: Protesting against Uber worksThe irregularity of their income forces many Uber drivers to work a lot of hours in order to simply earn enough to cover the car payments and fuel costs, he points out.
Mac Urata is highly critical of Uber's classification of their drivers as “partners”.
- Uber claims that they are not an employer, and therefore the drivers are not protected by such benefits as sick pay, medical insurance or pension, he says.
ITF's investigations indicate that there could be different reasons why the authorities reject Uber.
- The reasons vary from city to city and from country to country, but they are often based on evidence that Uber does not adhere to the laws and regulations which apply to the taxi industry. In some countries, the resistance against Uber is a result of pressure and protests from taxi drivers, Mac Urata says.
