Advice to EU Court: Uber must comply with the same rules as other taxi services

Uber is primarily a transportation company, like a traditional taxi company, and not an online service. That is what the Advocate General of the European Court says in an advice to that Court. That finding would mean that Uber must comply with all the rules of a taxi service in Europe.

The European Court of Justice can disregard the Advocate General’s advice and still rule that Uber is primarily an online service, but it is not often that the Court ignores the Advocate General’s advice. It seems that the rules for a taxi service will apply to Uber throughout Europe.

The Advocate General says that Uber mainly derives its value from car rides and is therefore primarily a service in the transport sector. According to the advice, this is the case because Uber customers pay for the ride and not for the connection with the driver via the app. Therefore, Uber should be subject to the rules of the transport sector, just like taxi companies.

Uber said in a statement to CNBC it disagrees with that decision. “If we are seen as a transport company, it will not change the way EU countries already regulate us, because we already have a lot of regulation in the current situation. It will undermine the necessary reforms of outdated legislation. prevents millions of Europeans from ordering a reliable taxi ride at the touch of a button.”

The case over whether Uber is a taxi service or an online service is being heard by the European Court because of a case in Spain. There, Uber and an organization that represents taxi drivers from Barcelona are at odds with each other over the regulation of the taxi service.