Uber services have been banned in Germany

The popular ride-sharing app Uber has had a lot of trouble recently, especially in India, but it seems these problems are continuing onto its European endeavors as well. A German regional court has issued a nationwide ban on Uber, attacking its commercial services. From today, German Uber users cannot pay for their rides, as that would violate current transportation laws in effect in Germany. The court that issued the ban today enacted severe fines for violations and has rendered Uber and UberPOP unusable in the country.

According to a Reuters report, Uber has received a $264,000 fine today for providing services deemed illegal. Although the ban covers the more popular branches of Uber, according to a spokersperson for the company, the UberTaxi and UberBlack services are still going to be available in Germany, no strings attached. Moreover, it was unveiled that the company is already working on a different take on its ride-sharing service which would be in compliance with the country’s transportation laws in effect.

Bein a ride-sharing service, lawmakers in Germany targeted Uber for essentially non-compliance with transportation laws. Uber drivers don’t always have the same licenses as taxi drivers in certain countries, which is why one of Germany’s taxi services, Taxi Deutschland, sued Uber. The resulting ban is valid for the paid ride-sharing services, and judges presiding over the case proposed that Uber be free, in which case it would not violate traffic laws in the country. Even though the court dealing with the issue said that Uber was not only violating German laws, but also European laws, the company doesn’t seem to be backing down and promised that it would remedy the situation and try to offer its services in the country in the future.

Although there is a substantial number of actual taxi drivers using Uber in various countries, not just Germany, taxi companies that have licensed drivers are not seeing the app as something beneficial for their economy. Even if their accusations seem right, it would be better if Uber were allowed, in a different variant, so that people can benefit from the easy-to-use ride-sharing app. The newer version of Uber, in compliance with the law, has been announced, but no information about when it would be released was disclosed.