Uber must stop in Brussels tonight after a judge on Friday – IT Pro – News
The Brussels Court of Appeal has an advantage that Uber drivers with only a VVB permit are no longer allowed to transport customers in Brussels from Friday evening. According to Uber, this concerns 95 percent of its drivers in the Belgian capital.
The Brussels Court of Appeal made this announcement on Wednesday, Belgian media report The time. The court ruled that an old ruling against taxi platform ‘UberPop’ now also applies to the American transport service.
Taxi organizations sued Uber in 2014 for finding it illegal for Uber drivers to offer their services without a taxi. The agreed with the taxi organizations at the time, later reformed its platform in Brussels to ‘UberX’. The company then saw itself as a limousine service, resulting Brussels Uber drivers having a secure VVB permit.
However, the Brussels Court ruled today that the against UberPop also applies to drivers with such a VVB license. That is why only Uber drivers who have applied for a taxi permit on January 1, 2020 are allowed to remain active in Brussels, writes The standard. The service has drivers in the Belgian capital 2000, and according to Uber, about 5 percent of them have such a taxi license.
The notice will be effective as of Friday evening, November 26 at 6:00 PM. From that moment on, Uber risks fines if they do write offers with VVB drivers. Earlier this year, the Brussels government also ruled that Uber drivers in Brussels no longer accept orders via their smartphones.
Uber responds to Belgian media that the announcement is based on ‘outdated regulations that predate the arrival of smartphones’. The company determines the Belgian government. The transport service also indicates that it is concerned, because many of its Brussels drivers will have ‘the opportunities to generate income’ from Friday. According to De Standaard, Uber drivers announced protests.