Following protests and police raids, Uber has announced that it’s shutting down operations of UberPop in France as of 8pm local time this evening.
Update: Note that Uber is only shutting down operation of UberPop — not all of its operations.
Uber has been operating a low-cost service called UberPop in Paris. French authorities passed a new law at the start of 2015 which requires taxi services must licence and insure its drivers. Officials claim that Uber breaks these rules; Uber has claimed that its service is legal according to the letter of the law. One of them must be wrong.
Now, it’s bringing a halt to its operations, at least until September 30, when the nation’s constitutional court will on whether or not to ban the service. But apparently it’s not the legal situation that’s caused Uber to pull to a stop. “The main factor here is not coercion, but violence” said Uber France CEO Thibaut Simphal to Le Monde, referring to the violent protests that have been occurring on the streets of Paris.
What will happen to Uber in France remains to be seen. But if you’re visiting Paris, you might now be relegated to the Metro. [Le Monde via TechCrunch via Engadget]