Violent Protests Push Uber Expansion Under The Radar

The saga of Uber and its trials and travails as it attempts to navigate new markets in Europe hit a new snag Thursday (Sept. 3) when things turned violent in Brussels.

As The Wall Street Journal reported, Uber said at a press conference that it is moving ahead with plans to bring its ride-hailing app to Brussels. But, in a twist, the company had kept the location of that press conference under wraps until just before it started. The reason: to avoid ever-increasing protests from traditional taxi drivers, who have announced plans for a strike against the company on Sept. 16.

At the press conference, Mark MacGann, who heads public policy for the company in Europe, the Middle East and Europe, said that “there’s a lot of tension right now. For our safety and your safety, we thought we would be as smart as possible.”

As has been widely reported, the company has been battling several fronts in Europe. In terms of legal skirmishes, Uber faces court-mandated bans on its UberPOP service in Germany and Italy. The company also suspended that service in France on the heels of widespread and violent taxi driver protests.

At the Thursday press conference, Uber said it would push for at least one more “upscale” service, which would use drivers that would be licensed through the Brussels government, and would also look to continue its UberPOP service. The new platform launched Thursday is to be known as Uber X, which while costlier than UberPOP, will still be cheaper than traditional taxi services. Also at the press conference, the company said it would look to expand its Uber Black service, which is even pricier.

In another late breaking development in the European labyrinth for Uber, the European Commission is launching a study this month to gather more information on the taxi, ride-sharing and car service market.

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