Uber’s hasn’t been having an easy time of it in Europe just recently. The latest issue to land in the company’s lap came on Wednesday as a court in Germany imposed a nationwide ban on the ride-sharing service. The injunction against UberPop was issued by legal officials in Frankfurt after a German taxi association complained that Uber drivers don’t have the necessary permits to operate.
UberPop was first banned in Germany back in August. However, the courts lifted the ban after it was challenged by the San Francisco-based company. Wednesday’s ruling puts the original ban back in place, with Uber likely to once again appeal.
The company has two other services operating in Germany – UberBlack and UberTaxi – though these aren’t affected by this week’s legal ruling as they both use professionally licensed drivers.
The action affecting Uber’s German business is the latest episode in what has so far been a rough couple of weeks for the company’s European operation.
On Monday its Paris offices were raided by armed cops and its staff detained in connection with an investigation into its business activities in France, while news outlets in the Netherlands reported that several Uber drivers in Amsterdam had recently been attacked by “a group of armed men with hammers and brass knuckles.” The alleged assaults came as licensed taxi companies there, as in other cities around the world, continue to argue that Uber shouldn’t be allowed to operate if the drivers are not professionally qualified.
The ride-hailing business is also currently banned in Spain, though to maintain a presence in the country while it appeals the court’s decision the company has launched UberEATS, a service that delivers restaurant meals to customers.
Uber has recently been making efforts to improve relations with regulators in Europe, and says that if rules are relaxed it could create as many as 50,000 jobs across the continent by the end of the year.
In a recent post on Uber’s blog, the company said it was committed to “establishing new partnerships with Europe’s cities to ensure innovation, harness powerful economic benefits and promote core city functions.” Looking at the events of the past couple of weeks alone, the company clearly has its work cut out, though it surely won’t be turning its back on Europe anytime soon.
