News of: Friday, November 20 2015,
The controversial taxi service UberPop is no longer available in the Netherlands.
UberPop is a taxi service with which you can (could) book a ride with a non-licensed driver. The advantage is that this is cheaper than a regular ride with a taxi company.
However, running a taxi service without a taxi license is illegal in the Netherlands. A fight between Uber and the Dutch authorities ensued. The authorities started to fine UberPop driver who got caught, and Uber would pay these fines and pay for the cost of legal proceedings.
Uber maintained that UberPop was not a taxi service, but rather about sharing your car with someone who needs a ride. Any legislation saying otherwise would be dismissed as obsolete, old-fashioned, blocking innovation.
Until today that is. Uber says on its blog that keeping UberPop alive is a 'hindrance for a constructive dialogue about modernization of existing legislation on taxi services'.
In the Wall Street Journal, Jim Coulter, a large investor in Uber, complained bitterly that the fact that the Dutch authorities did not promote the development of services like UberPop, 'reflected unwelcoming attitude to technology innovation'. (source).
Other services by Uber are legal in the Netherlands and will keep remain available.
Uber also active in Amsterdam
