Car-hailing service Uber has been banned from operating its ride-hailing UberPop service anywhere in Germany, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel today.
The report says that a Frankfurt court has blocked Uber from operating it as does not hold the necessary paperwork for carrying out the service in the country – an official permit under the Passenger Transport Act is required.
The decision follows a temporary injunction in Berlin that lifted four days after being issued. As was the case in Berlin, Uber is free to appeal the court’s decision, but the ramifications are more serious this time around as the ban applies nationwide, rather than for one city.
If Uber doesn’t stop issuing rides UberPop rides within Germany while the order is in place, it could be fined up to €250,000, the report suggests. We’ve asked Uber for a statement on the decision and will update in due course. Until now, it had been operating in Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Munich and Hamburg.
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Update: Uber has posted a blog stating its position on the matter. A spokesperson also got in touch to say:
Germany is one of the fastest growing markets for Uber in Europe. We will continue to operate in Germany and will appeal the recent lawsuit filed by Taxi Deutschland in Frankfurt.
We believe innovation and competition is good for everyone, riders and drivers, everyone wins. You cannot put the brakes on progress. Uber will continue its operations and will offer Uberpop ridesharing services via its app throughout Germany.
Update 2: This article was updated to reflect the specifics of the ban relating to UberPop, rather than all Uber’s taxi services.
➤ Umstrittener Fahrdienst: Gericht stoppt Uber in ganz Deutschland [Der Spiegel]
Image credit: Getty Images
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