Uber Shuts Down In Denmark In Latest European Setback

Due to new taxi laws in the country, Uber announced that it is shutting down its operation in Denmark next month.

According to The Guardian, this is just the latest setback in Europe for the ridesharing company, which has faced legal challenges since it launched there in 2011. Currently, Uber is waiting on a court decision to find out how it will be regulated throughout Europe: as a transport service or a digital platform.

In the meantime, a company spokesman, Kristian Agerbo, said Uber “must take the consequences” of the new rules in Denmark, which will require cabs to have seat occupancy sensors and fare meters, as well as other regulations. And last year, Danish prosecutors accused the company of operating an illegal taxi service, indicting it on charges of assisting its drivers — two of whom have also been fined — in breaking national taxi laws.

Uber has faced issues in Madrid, London, Frankfurt and Paris, where its drivers have been physically attacked and two of its senior executives were put on trial for running an illegal transport business. The company is also currently fighting a ruling by an employment tribunal in London that declared Uber drivers should have access to minimum wage, sick days and paid holidays. In addition, courts in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have banned Uber’s low-cost UberPop service, which uses non-professional drivers,

The lawsuit that could determine Uber’s fate in Europe is one filed by Barcelona’s main taxi association, which was referred to the European Court of Justice in 2015 and heard at the Luxembourg-based court last November. The ruling would determine if Uber is a transport service, meaning it would have to follow the same labor and safety regulations as traditional taxi services. The other option is that the company would found to be an “information society service.” This means the company is simply an online platform connecting independent drivers with passengers — giving Uber the freedom to carry out its ridesharing services without any changes.