German court bans Uber ridesharing taxi service app

A court has issued an injunction barring ridesharing service Uber from operating in Germany, the latest shot in the company’s fight with taxi drivers. Frankfurt state court spokesman Arne Hasse said the decision that Uber cannot offer its services without a specific permit under German transport laws applies nationwide. The injunction applies pending a full hearing of a suit brought against Uber by Taxi Deutschland, a German cab association that also offers its own taxi-ordering app. The suit is being heard in Frankfurt because it is one of the several German cities in which Uber operates.

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The ruling comes after Berlin authorities last month barred Uber from operating in the capital because of safety concerns. Taxi Deutschland’s arguments were in line with those of established cab companies that claim Uber’s app-based services, which offer limousines and pickups by private drivers, dodge rules that ordinary taxi firms have to abide by. The firm said Uber allows drivers to skirt safety and insurance regulations that apply to conventional cabs, and for employers to avoid sector benefit and wage agreements and taxes. San Francisco-based Uber did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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