6 ms·

Anti-Uber Taxi Protest Blocks Access to Paris’s Roissy Airport

46 points by chezmo 11y ago

ovi256 11y ago
As someone quipped on Twitter, "soon enough postmen will block access to office buildings nationwide to protest the widespread use of email".
- walshemj 11y ago
  You may joke I know that a few years ago the CWU (Postal Union) in the UK used to mail floppy disks with paper work to branches rather than send emails.
timonoko 11y ago
Is it my impression only that Taxis in Paris are so shitty that anything is über, even ones with rusty Lada and 15 minutes of training?
VeejayRampay 11y ago
France, where we'll protest anything that challenges the status quo.
- Shivetya 11y ago
  How is that different from anywhere else where an industry is governed if not protected by government regulation? At one time regulation was meant to give some sense of guarantee of safe and reliable service, now it has become a method to prevent competition. The number of industries in the United States which are regulated is staggering, I can only imagine the same is true elsewhere. Regulating industries is a good idea but not if it prevents competition. Regulation is meant to protect the consumer, not the business from competition and the need to maintain if not improve service.
  - VeejayRampay 11y ago
    There is really something special about France (and I would reckon some other former superpowers of the past). Because we used to be great and we're not anymore, slowly drifting into world oblivion, there is a quite toxic tendency to cling to that past in the form of excessive conservatism. In that mindset, any change is perceived as an additional step away from that past greatness which is an integral and important part of the "collective consciousness". As such, anything that changes the status quo frightens that part of us thinking that we're still a dominant world power. That is why we still push the French language hard (dubbing movies, forcing a 50% ratio of French music on the radio, having a national academy to enforce the purity of our language), why we've been beefing with the English and the American on many topics. That issue is systemic and is extremely detrimental in our collective progress to a better future. This is the precise root of what has been described as the inherent French melancholia. And this is why Uber is a problem here, even though most French people would recognize it's a great service that actually brings something much needed to the table.
antimagic 11y ago
I feel that every time this issue gets discussed, it needs to have some background information provided, because quite frankly, taxi drivers in France suck. From my own personal experience, I have had the following incidents: 1) a taxi driver that took me the long way round from a train station to my home. Thinking I was a tourist, because of my accent, he basically tried to take me for a ride thinking I wouldn't notice. That lifted the bill by 50% compared to the usual price. 2) A taxi driver in Marseille that wouldn't finish the trip until I gave him my phone number. My choice was to either get out in the middle of one of the roughest neighbourhoods of Marseille and try and find another taxi, or hand over my phone number (which he verified by calling me on it before continuing) - I had to change my phone number after that one. 3) Countless occassions of having taxis refusing to take me as a customer because I wanted to go to a part of the city they didn't want to go to. One particular occassion struck me as bad - I had the car door open and one foot off the ground when he realised where I wanted to go and took off. Considering I was a lone 35-yr old woman at the time, dressed in a business suit, he obviously wasn't worrying about his safety. 4) I have a friend who actually works in the Boers (mentioned in the article). When I'm out with him, he won't let me get into a taxi until he's checked the guy's (most taxi drivers are men, and on the rare occassion I've had a female driver, they have been nothing but professional - make of that what you will) papers and flashed his badge to keep the driver on his best behaviour). 5) If I move my grievances out to people one removed from me (ie people I personally know), you can add in a guy getting physically hauled out of a taxi and beaten by the driver because the driver didn't want to go where he wanted, another guy getting hit by a taxi when walking across a pedestrian crossing, only to have the taxi driver get out of his vehicule, abuse and kick said friend for slowing him down, and then driving off, and a taxi that took off with a friend's luggage in the boot, which he never got back. So yeah, I have about zero sympathy for French taxi drivers - the sooner they're run out of business, the better. Their latest behaviour has just confirmed for me that I won't ever be using one again if I can avoid it.
- crdb 11y ago
  That's spot on. The best part: Uber is managing to address problems people have been wanting to address for decades but been unable to, as those strikes can be politically devastating. I bet the government is privately patting themselves on the back that a nice, foreign entity is willing to take the heat and provide the hammers for taxi drivers to keep driving those nails deeper into their own coffins. When a taxi driver gang is beating up an UberPOP driver or burning his car after turning it over, the average French citizen is seeing himself, an average dude just trying to sweeten his end of month by driving people around, and the commercial dispute becomes a crusade of the right of the common man versus a gang of uncontrollable bullies. Well played Uber, amazing PR.
lucaspiller 11y ago
The other week I was in LA on business and I took a taxi to my hotel. If taxis in Paris are anything like there, no wonder Uber is so popular... The hotel was about 5 miles from LAX. First the taxi driver suggested I might be able to take a shuttle bus (I had just landed after a 16 hour flight and didn't want to figure out and wait however long for that) and after persuasion agreed to take me. He had no idea where the household-name hotel was, so I had to give him directions from Google Maps. For that 10 minute trip I paid $25 + tip. On the way back I took UberX, the driver was a lot friendlier and even helped to find which terminal I needed as I had no idea. Total price $6.50. I gave him a five stars and $10 tip as he was great.
- mvanvoorden 11y ago
  Why would you even tip a taxi driver who needs to be persuaded to take you and needs your (Google maps) directions?
nicolas_t 11y ago
Uber being available in Paris was one of the greatest thing to happen for tourists and residents alike. I agree with the general sentiment, Taxis in France are some of the worst taxis I've used. I've had a lot of bad experiences. And lest you think it's due to racism or because they thought I was a tourist (not that this would excuse their behaviour one iota), I'm French and I was born in Paris. I can understand the financial hardship brought by Uber and the frustration with the license prices but as a group, they have not endeared themselves to me and none of my friends have generally positive experiences with them. It's high time a service like Uber which penalises drivers for bad experience exists.
- Mimu 11y ago
  It is worth knowing that even though the licenses are limited, the gouvernement gave them all for free, it is the taxis themselves that created some kind of mafia bullshit selling it back 200k euros. Also not very a response but Uber is kinda of fucking every laws aswell so even though the service is better and cheaper, so is my Nike made by children, it does not mean we need to make children work again for peanuts.
  - robmccoll 11y ago
    If you believe that and care, either stop buying nikes and stop taking uber or start petitioning your government to change or implement laws. Personally Uber being made legal is something I would consider a reasonable issue for a politician to take a stand on one way or another. If you live somewhere with elected officials, consider these things when voting.
  - simias 11y ago
    Yeah, I'm basically on the same page as you. I can't say I really enjoy using taxis in Paris (although I don't have any nightmare stories like other people in this thread, mostly minor annoyances like refusing to take credit cards and some general rudeness). On the other hand having services like uber breaking regulations might end up making taxis less safe and with a worse quality of service down the line as prices keep plunging due to the heavy unregulated competition. I think the right move would be to open the market while still heavily regulating them but I don't know how the government can convince the taxi drivers to accept that since it would mean losing their super expensive license. I suppose the government could buy the licenses itself but that would be heinously expensive (and as a tax payer I can't say I would really like that). I really wish the government wouldn't have allowed for this license market to exist in the first place, it was obviously going to create a cartel.
sneak 11y ago
Well, that tactic ought to end well for the taxi drivers.
cocoflunchy 11y ago
Apparently they're attacking Uber/Uber like cars they find on their way: https://twitter.com/imnotalone/status/613961119766609920 https://twitter.com/imnotalone/status/613961119766609920
peterjancelis 11y ago
I have been cheated by taxi drivers in every city where I lived for more than a few weeks. I am 100% in support of Uber.
- collyw 11y ago
  Why, does Uber have some sort of guarantee that you are not getting ripped off? How do they address the problem? (I am genuinely asking, not trying to post a rhetorical question)
  - proexploit 11y ago
    Actually yes. You're emailed a receipt with a map that includes the route you took. If you have any complaints, you can email them and they'll usually adjust your rate. (I don't know if that's a formal guarantee but it's my experience)
    - collyw 11y ago
      And if the gps "isn't working"? I can see it could be easily gamed.
      - ngoede 11y ago
        This dispatch app IS the gps. If it doesn't work they don't get jobs/paid.
      - robmccoll 11y ago
        Also you generally enter your destination into your phone before ever getting in the car. The company usually knows which account holder is riding, who is driving, which car, and where they're all going at the time the ride begins.
- ptaipale 11y ago
  Interesting note. To counter, I have lived longer times in just two cities, Helsinki and Beijing, and in neither one was I ever cheated by a taxi driver. Stories about bad Beijing taxis were everywhere, but they do not reflect my experience. I used taxis on a daily basis for well over a year, and never had the driver try to cheat (the worst experience being that a Xiali with no air conditioning is not fun in the summer). This might have something to do with myself being about 30 cm taller and 40 kg heavier than the average Beijing taxi driver. The drivers might refuse to drive to the suburbs because they can't get a paying ride back, though. But that's upfront refusal, not cheating. In Helsinki (or Finland in general), the taxis are not cheap but they are very reliable. You could give them your wallet and keys and pass out at the backseat, and find yourself in your bed in the morning, with your money left, minus ride price, and a receipt. Stockholm, on the other hand, is Wild West, particularly regarding pricing. Check, really, before you take a ride. Paris experiences: nobody suggests just flagging a random taxi, everyone recommends to call a known company. When I've flagged a random taxi, the service has been unenthusiastic but not disastrous. Berlin/generally Germany experiences: very good and reliable. U.S. experiences: how the F am I supposed to know what is the right amount to tip? That is infuriating. I just avoid anything where the tipping rules are not clear.
sunseb 11y ago
Courtney Love Cobain : "they've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage. they're beating the cars with metal bats. this is France?? I'm safer in Baghdad" https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/614022179978502146 https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/614022179978502146
MrPatan 11y ago
Good news everybody! The taxi geniuses even beat up an uber _customer_ for daring to use uber instead of being content with NOT using a taxi, as thee taxis were on strike! Well done! If this was a joke, I wouldn't believe it! Comedy gold!
makermaker12 11y ago
It shows its a disruptive platform. Stuff like this will only make it grow faster.
tempodox 11y ago
When a taxi driver feels justified in beating up a customer rather than servicing them, you know you're dealing with just another Mafia. Being exposed to market forces is certainly not comfortable but the sorry state of taxi services shows how economic sectors degrade when you shield them from market forces. They even forget how to act in the interest of self-preservation.
raverbashing 11y ago
It seems I was lucky in France, no majorly bad taxi drivers Or, you know, just get the bus, it's cheaper (not always possible, I know) But yeah, it seems they just began digging their own grave. Meanwhile in "technology driven" Germany Uber has been banned
bsaul 11y ago
What i don't get is that ultimately, forcing all taxi drivers to work through systems like uber, could prove better for everyone in the long run, including the state. No more fraud ( how many times did the drivers forced you to pay in cash), so more taxes collected and easier monitoring of the overall taxi profession. Having centralized live tracking of every aspect of the taxi service actually make things easier to regulate, not harder.
piokoch 11y ago
Uber seems the problem everywhere Taxi market is highly regulated. Uber operates also in Warsaw, this was a news for a day or two, but later nothing really happened. In Poland Taxi market is almost non-regulated. Taxi driver must pass medical examination, both physical and mental health is checked, plus there are a few other reasonable requirements. As a result of this, in Warsaw there are more then 20 Taxi corporations, plus Uber, plus independent taxi drivers. The interesting thing is that prices vary quite a lot, since corporations are not competing over prices only. Some corporations have fancy cars, some corporations are more available during high traffic hours. Taxis offer also side services - if you run out of alcohol during party, the taxi driver can get one for you in 10 min. You have a car, went to bar, drunk to much to drive - no problem, taxi will arrive with another driver, who will drive your car home. I understand that governments are regulating explosives production, but why the hell they mess with something so simple as driving people from place A to B is beyond my imagination.
Shivetya 11y ago
According to another article it appears the taxi drivers use of violence and road blocks has worked, the France Interior minister has banned UberPop from use in the city and enforced by the police. The verge article stated that costs for licenses can be nearly quarter million. How is that even remotely reasonable to anyone?
- dvdcxn 11y ago
  I don't think it's going out on a limb to say there is obviously some under the table collusion going on here.
latesethmeyer99 11y ago
World War II - The Miracle of the Marne. The German Nazis were at the Gates of the City. Only a miracle of the Marne, prayers to God and the taxi drivers who drove soldiers to the front to fight against GERMANY saved the City and France for a while. As the USA Uber - German for UBER ALLES aided by the scientists of Operation Paperclip and Werner Von Braun, etc the USA company UBER will conquer or better word to use PENETRATE the market? or bring progress to FRANCE. TO THE FRENCH, WE RAISE OUR HAND IN SALUTE (no not the (hitler picture for that is illegal) and say to Paris, UBER ALLES - you will be allways with us. Danke Schon. Thank you, Paris Taxi Cabs!

46 points by chezmo 11y ago

As someone quipped on Twitter, "soon enough postmen will block access to office buildings nationwide to protest the widespread use of email".

walshemj 11y ago
You may joke I know that a few years ago the CWU (Postal Union) in the UK used to mail floppy disks with paper work to branches rather than send emails.

timonoko 11y ago

Is it my impression only that Taxis in Paris are so shitty that anything is über, even ones with rusty Lada and 15 minutes of training?

VeejayRampay 11y ago

France, where we'll protest anything that challenges the status quo.

Shivetya 11y ago
How is that different from anywhere else where an industry is governed if not protected by government regulation? At one time regulation was meant to give some sense of guarantee of safe and reliable service, now it has become a method to prevent competition. The number of industries in the United States which are regulated is staggering, I can only imagine the same is true elsewhere. Regulating industries is a good idea but not if it prevents competition. Regulation is meant to protect the consumer, not the business from competition and the need to maintain if not improve service.
- VeejayRampay 11y ago
  There is really something special about France (and I would reckon some other former superpowers of the past). Because we used to be great and we're not anymore, slowly drifting into world oblivion, there is a quite toxic tendency to cling to that past in the form of excessive conservatism. In that mindset, any change is perceived as an additional step away from that past greatness which is an integral and important part of the "collective consciousness". As such, anything that changes the status quo frightens that part of us thinking that we're still a dominant world power. That is why we still push the French language hard (dubbing movies, forcing a 50% ratio of French music on the radio, having a national academy to enforce the purity of our language), why we've been beefing with the English and the American on many topics. That issue is systemic and is extremely detrimental in our collective progress to a better future. This is the precise root of what has been described as the inherent French melancholia. And this is why Uber is a problem here, even though most French people would recognize it's a great service that actually brings something much needed to the table.

antimagic 11y ago

I feel that every time this issue gets discussed, it needs to have some background information provided, because quite frankly, taxi drivers in France suck. From my own personal experience, I have had the following incidents: 1) a taxi driver that took me the long way round from a train station to my home. Thinking I was a tourist, because of my accent, he basically tried to take me for a ride thinking I wouldn't notice. That lifted the bill by 50% compared to the usual price. 2) A taxi driver in Marseille that wouldn't finish the trip until I gave him my phone number. My choice was to either get out in the middle of one of the roughest neighbourhoods of Marseille and try and find another taxi, or hand over my phone number (which he verified by calling me on it before continuing) - I had to change my phone number after that one. 3) Countless occassions of having taxis refusing to take me as a customer because I wanted to go to a part of the city they didn't want to go to. One particular occassion struck me as bad - I had the car door open and one foot off the ground when he realised where I wanted to go and took off. Considering I was a lone 35-yr old woman at the time, dressed in a business suit, he obviously wasn't worrying about his safety. 4) I have a friend who actually works in the Boers (mentioned in the article). When I'm out with him, he won't let me get into a taxi until he's checked the guy's (most taxi drivers are men, and on the rare occassion I've had a female driver, they have been nothing but professional - make of that what you will) papers and flashed his badge to keep the driver on his best behaviour). 5) If I move my grievances out to people one removed from me (ie people I personally know), you can add in a guy getting physically hauled out of a taxi and beaten by the driver because the driver didn't want to go where he wanted, another guy getting hit by a taxi when walking across a pedestrian crossing, only to have the taxi driver get out of his vehicule, abuse and kick said friend for slowing him down, and then driving off, and a taxi that took off with a friend's luggage in the boot, which he never got back. So yeah, I have about zero sympathy for French taxi drivers - the sooner they're run out of business, the better. Their latest behaviour has just confirmed for me that I won't ever be using one again if I can avoid it.

crdb 11y ago
That's spot on. The best part: Uber is managing to address problems people have been wanting to address for decades but been unable to, as those strikes can be politically devastating. I bet the government is privately patting themselves on the back that a nice, foreign entity is willing to take the heat and provide the hammers for taxi drivers to keep driving those nails deeper into their own coffins. When a taxi driver gang is beating up an UberPOP driver or burning his car after turning it over, the average French citizen is seeing himself, an average dude just trying to sweeten his end of month by driving people around, and the commercial dispute becomes a crusade of the right of the common man versus a gang of uncontrollable bullies. Well played Uber, amazing PR.

lucaspiller 11y ago

The other week I was in LA on business and I took a taxi to my hotel. If taxis in Paris are anything like there, no wonder Uber is so popular... The hotel was about 5 miles from LAX. First the taxi driver suggested I might be able to take a shuttle bus (I had just landed after a 16 hour flight and didn't want to figure out and wait however long for that) and after persuasion agreed to take me. He had no idea where the household-name hotel was, so I had to give him directions from Google Maps. For that 10 minute trip I paid $25 + tip. On the way back I took UberX, the driver was a lot friendlier and even helped to find which terminal I needed as I had no idea. Total price $6.50. I gave him a five stars and $10 tip as he was great.

mvanvoorden 11y ago
Why would you even tip a taxi driver who needs to be persuaded to take you and needs your (Google maps) directions?

nicolas_t 11y ago

Uber being available in Paris was one of the greatest thing to happen for tourists and residents alike. I agree with the general sentiment, Taxis in France are some of the worst taxis I've used. I've had a lot of bad experiences. And lest you think it's due to racism or because they thought I was a tourist (not that this would excuse their behaviour one iota), I'm French and I was born in Paris. I can understand the financial hardship brought by Uber and the frustration with the license prices but as a group, they have not endeared themselves to me and none of my friends have generally positive experiences with them. It's high time a service like Uber which penalises drivers for bad experience exists.

Mimu 11y ago
It is worth knowing that even though the licenses are limited, the gouvernement gave them all for free, it is the taxis themselves that created some kind of mafia bullshit selling it back 200k euros. Also not very a response but Uber is kinda of fucking every laws aswell so even though the service is better and cheaper, so is my Nike made by children, it does not mean we need to make children work again for peanuts.
- robmccoll 11y ago
  If you believe that and care, either stop buying nikes and stop taking uber or start petitioning your government to change or implement laws. Personally Uber being made legal is something I would consider a reasonable issue for a politician to take a stand on one way or another. If you live somewhere with elected officials, consider these things when voting.
- simias 11y ago
  Yeah, I'm basically on the same page as you. I can't say I really enjoy using taxis in Paris (although I don't have any nightmare stories like other people in this thread, mostly minor annoyances like refusing to take credit cards and some general rudeness). On the other hand having services like uber breaking regulations might end up making taxis less safe and with a worse quality of service down the line as prices keep plunging due to the heavy unregulated competition. I think the right move would be to open the market while still heavily regulating them but I don't know how the government can convince the taxi drivers to accept that since it would mean losing their super expensive license. I suppose the government could buy the licenses itself but that would be heinously expensive (and as a tax payer I can't say I would really like that). I really wish the government wouldn't have allowed for this license market to exist in the first place, it was obviously going to create a cartel.

sneak 11y ago

Well, that tactic ought to end well for the taxi drivers.

cocoflunchy 11y ago

Apparently they're attacking Uber/Uber like cars they find on their way: https://twitter.com/imnotalone/status/613961119766609920 https://twitter.com/imnotalone/status/613961119766609920

peterjancelis 11y ago

I have been cheated by taxi drivers in every city where I lived for more than a few weeks. I am 100% in support of Uber.

collyw 11y ago
Why, does Uber have some sort of guarantee that you are not getting ripped off? How do they address the problem? (I am genuinely asking, not trying to post a rhetorical question)
- proexploit 11y ago
  Actually yes. You're emailed a receipt with a map that includes the route you took. If you have any complaints, you can email them and they'll usually adjust your rate. (I don't know if that's a formal guarantee but it's my experience)
  - collyw 11y ago
    And if the gps "isn't working"? I can see it could be easily gamed.
    - ngoede 11y ago
      This dispatch app IS the gps. If it doesn't work they don't get jobs/paid.
    - robmccoll 11y ago
      Also you generally enter your destination into your phone before ever getting in the car. The company usually knows which account holder is riding, who is driving, which car, and where they're all going at the time the ride begins.
ptaipale 11y ago
Interesting note. To counter, I have lived longer times in just two cities, Helsinki and Beijing, and in neither one was I ever cheated by a taxi driver. Stories about bad Beijing taxis were everywhere, but they do not reflect my experience. I used taxis on a daily basis for well over a year, and never had the driver try to cheat (the worst experience being that a Xiali with no air conditioning is not fun in the summer). This might have something to do with myself being about 30 cm taller and 40 kg heavier than the average Beijing taxi driver. The drivers might refuse to drive to the suburbs because they can't get a paying ride back, though. But that's upfront refusal, not cheating. In Helsinki (or Finland in general), the taxis are not cheap but they are very reliable. You could give them your wallet and keys and pass out at the backseat, and find yourself in your bed in the morning, with your money left, minus ride price, and a receipt. Stockholm, on the other hand, is Wild West, particularly regarding pricing. Check, really, before you take a ride. Paris experiences: nobody suggests just flagging a random taxi, everyone recommends to call a known company. When I've flagged a random taxi, the service has been unenthusiastic but not disastrous. Berlin/generally Germany experiences: very good and reliable. U.S. experiences: how the F am I supposed to know what is the right amount to tip? That is infuriating. I just avoid anything where the tipping rules are not clear.

sunseb 11y ago

Courtney Love Cobain : "they've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage. they're beating the cars with metal bats. this is France?? I'm safer in Baghdad" https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/614022179978502146 https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/614022179978502146

MrPatan 11y ago

Good news everybody! The taxi geniuses even beat up an uber _customer_ for daring to use uber instead of being content with NOT using a taxi, as thee taxis were on strike! Well done! If this was a joke, I wouldn't believe it! Comedy gold!

makermaker12 11y ago

It shows its a disruptive platform. Stuff like this will only make it grow faster.

tempodox 11y ago

When a taxi driver feels justified in beating up a customer rather than servicing them, you know you're dealing with just another Mafia. Being exposed to market forces is certainly not comfortable but the sorry state of taxi services shows how economic sectors degrade when you shield them from market forces. They even forget how to act in the interest of self-preservation.

raverbashing 11y ago

It seems I was lucky in France, no majorly bad taxi drivers Or, you know, just get the bus, it's cheaper (not always possible, I know) But yeah, it seems they just began digging their own grave. Meanwhile in "technology driven" Germany Uber has been banned

bsaul 11y ago

What i don't get is that ultimately, forcing all taxi drivers to work through systems like uber, could prove better for everyone in the long run, including the state. No more fraud ( how many times did the drivers forced you to pay in cash), so more taxes collected and easier monitoring of the overall taxi profession. Having centralized live tracking of every aspect of the taxi service actually make things easier to regulate, not harder.

piokoch 11y ago

Uber seems the problem everywhere Taxi market is highly regulated. Uber operates also in Warsaw, this was a news for a day or two, but later nothing really happened. In Poland Taxi market is almost non-regulated. Taxi driver must pass medical examination, both physical and mental health is checked, plus there are a few other reasonable requirements. As a result of this, in Warsaw there are more then 20 Taxi corporations, plus Uber, plus independent taxi drivers. The interesting thing is that prices vary quite a lot, since corporations are not competing over prices only. Some corporations have fancy cars, some corporations are more available during high traffic hours. Taxis offer also side services - if you run out of alcohol during party, the taxi driver can get one for you in 10 min. You have a car, went to bar, drunk to much to drive - no problem, taxi will arrive with another driver, who will drive your car home. I understand that governments are regulating explosives production, but why the hell they mess with something so simple as driving people from place A to B is beyond my imagination.

Shivetya 11y ago

According to another article it appears the taxi drivers use of violence and road blocks has worked, the France Interior minister has banned UberPop from use in the city and enforced by the police. The verge article stated that costs for licenses can be nearly quarter million. How is that even remotely reasonable to anyone?

dvdcxn 11y ago
I don't think it's going out on a limb to say there is obviously some under the table collusion going on here.

latesethmeyer99 11y ago

World War II - The Miracle of the Marne. The German Nazis were at the Gates of the City. Only a miracle of the Marne, prayers to God and the taxi drivers who drove soldiers to the front to fight against GERMANY saved the City and France for a while. As the USA Uber - German for UBER ALLES aided by the scientists of Operation Paperclip and Werner Von Braun, etc the USA company UBER will conquer or better word to use PENETRATE the market? or bring progress to FRANCE. TO THE FRENCH, WE RAISE OUR HAND IN SALUTE (no not the (hitler picture for that is illegal) and say to Paris, UBER ALLES - you will be allways with us. Danke Schon. Thank you, Paris Taxi Cabs!