The Uber mobile app connects passengers with Uber drivers who use their own cars to offer passengers lifts. As of May 28, 2015, the service was available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide.
The fast expansion of Uber has hit the traditional taxi industry. Taking New York as an example, the number of trips made by Uber cars increased from 300,000 to 3.5 million from June 2013 to June 2015, while the number of traditional taxi trips decreased by 2.1 million. Besides, taxi companies were strongly impacted from 11 pm to 5 am, with a 22 percent decrease on carrying capacity.
Some cities, such as London, Seattle and Mexico City, have acknowledged Uber's legality. However, its legality has been challenged by governments and taxi companies of many cities and it has been prohibited in many cities due to safety risks.
In Paris, taxi drivers staged a series of strikes and protestors used violence to express their strong dissatisfaction. In India, a Uber driver was allegedly accused of raping a female passenger. The case shocked the whole country.
Let's take a look at the top 10 cities taking actions against Uber:
|
Berlin |
The Berlin city authority, LABO, issued a ruling prohibiting Uber from picking up passengers, saying they did not meet passenger safety standards. It also threatened the company with a 25,000 euro fine for each violation and drivers who' were not qualified with a 20,000 euro fine for picking up passengers.