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> The court said in its ruling that UberPOP had caused a "durable disruption" of the transport sector, provoking violent protests by taxi drivers that had distu

> The court said in its ruling that UberPOP had caused a "durable disruption" of the transport sector, provoking violent protests by taxi drivers that had disturbed public order. Fine Uber because taxi drivers are violent? makes sense.

philjohn 10y ago
No, they were fined because they decided to enter a tightly regulated market without gaining the necessary permits and permission, and following the requisite rules. Not saying it's right that the industry is regulated, and it's certainly not right that the French Taxi drivers resorted to violence, but if you want to operate in a country, you have to abide by their rules, it's called the cost of doing business. Now, there's nothing to stop them lobbying for change of course.
- fennecfoxen 10y ago
  More broadly, they were fined because of the European and especially French culture of the left wing where a business generally owns their customers and an employee owns his job. How dare you liberate these consumers by offering them a choice? They are OURS. Doubly so because Uber is so terribly un-French. We will have our friends in the government protect ourselves from this theft. Mind you, it's not as bad as, say, the teachers in Mexico who can sell their job to someone else, but... it has an impact on the economy, and it's a major reason youth unemployment is so high (and a contributing factor to why immigrant communities can't integrate, which is a contributing factor to the security situation over there...)
  - WizKid 10y ago
    No they were fined because they broke the rules. If they don't agree with the rules they need to get them changed first. They just pretended they didn't exists in hope that they rules was going to be changed
    - chillacy 10y ago
      I actually think Uber made a smart move, from its point of view. You can't expect people to support your cause until you've given them a glimpse of what life could be like with your service. If the punishment for breaking the law is a slap on the wrist, that's nothing compared to getting access to the potential market earlier: > The app connects 12,000 professional drivers with 1.5 million clients.
      - TeMPOraL 10y ago
        You're all discussing it as if this is something new. Ignoring the law in hope of capturing the market before they get banned is the very modus operandi of Uber. They do this all the time, everywhere.
        chillacy 10y ago
        Well then, I guess it's been working out for them ;) So far..
- Shivetya 10y ago
  fined because they tried to play in a bought and paid for market when there was nothing for sale. Industries went from being regulated to being protected. I don't know the numbers in France but Occupational Licensing in the United States stymies competition and worse puts a disproportionate burden on the poor when trying to enter such a licensed field. You can actually spend more money and time gaining a license to cut hair than be an EMT in some states. There can be no justice when laws are not just.
  - Keats 10y ago
    Well the court just decided that the law was just. Unless US tech companies with billions of funding are above it, they still have to respect it. Uber is still allowed in France, only UberPop is forbidden like in a lot of european countries and rightly so.
legulere 10y ago
How would you react if someone destroys your means of living with very questionable methods? (subsidized fares, no calibrated taximeter, unprofessional possibly criminal drivers, ...)
- pyre 10y ago
  I would posit that taxi drivers resorting to violence suggests that there may be some violent (possibly criminal) people driving taxis.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  I would suggest the fact that taxi drivers are so violent actually means that they make their living with very questionable methods. It is understandable that execs are fined or even jailed for breaking business licensing regulations. It is not understandable that people do actual, real violence and that is shrugged off because it's political.

philjohn 10y ago

No, they were fined because they decided to enter a tightly regulated market without gaining the necessary permits and permission, and following the requisite rules. Not saying it's right that the industry is regulated, and it's certainly not right that the French Taxi drivers resorted to violence, but if you want to operate in a country, you have to abide by their rules, it's called the cost of doing business. Now, there's nothing to stop them lobbying for change of course.

fennecfoxen 10y ago
More broadly, they were fined because of the European and especially French culture of the left wing where a business generally owns their customers and an employee owns his job. How dare you liberate these consumers by offering them a choice? They are OURS. Doubly so because Uber is so terribly un-French. We will have our friends in the government protect ourselves from this theft. Mind you, it's not as bad as, say, the teachers in Mexico who can sell their job to someone else, but... it has an impact on the economy, and it's a major reason youth unemployment is so high (and a contributing factor to why immigrant communities can't integrate, which is a contributing factor to the security situation over there...)
- WizKid 10y ago
  No they were fined because they broke the rules. If they don't agree with the rules they need to get them changed first. They just pretended they didn't exists in hope that they rules was going to be changed
  - chillacy 10y ago
    I actually think Uber made a smart move, from its point of view. You can't expect people to support your cause until you've given them a glimpse of what life could be like with your service. If the punishment for breaking the law is a slap on the wrist, that's nothing compared to getting access to the potential market earlier: > The app connects 12,000 professional drivers with 1.5 million clients.
    - TeMPOraL 10y ago
      You're all discussing it as if this is something new. Ignoring the law in hope of capturing the market before they get banned is the very modus operandi of Uber. They do this all the time, everywhere.
      - chillacy 10y ago
        Well then, I guess it's been working out for them ;) So far..
Shivetya 10y ago
fined because they tried to play in a bought and paid for market when there was nothing for sale. Industries went from being regulated to being protected. I don't know the numbers in France but Occupational Licensing in the United States stymies competition and worse puts a disproportionate burden on the poor when trying to enter such a licensed field. You can actually spend more money and time gaining a license to cut hair than be an EMT in some states. There can be no justice when laws are not just.
- Keats 10y ago
  Well the court just decided that the law was just. Unless US tech companies with billions of funding are above it, they still have to respect it. Uber is still allowed in France, only UberPop is forbidden like in a lot of european countries and rightly so.

legulere 10y ago

How would you react if someone destroys your means of living with very questionable methods? (subsidized fares, no calibrated taximeter, unprofessional possibly criminal drivers, ...)

pyre 10y ago
I would posit that taxi drivers resorting to violence suggests that there may be some violent (possibly criminal) people driving taxis.
ptaipale 10y ago
I would suggest the fact that taxi drivers are so violent actually means that they make their living with very questionable methods. It is understandable that execs are fined or even jailed for breaking business licensing regulations. It is not understandable that people do actual, real violence and that is shrugged off because it's political.