A Milan court on Tuesday placed a
nationwide ban on Uber's controversial UberPop app on grounds of
unfair competition with regular taxi drivers.
Judge Claudio Marangoni ordered the American multinational
company to refrain from operating its lower-cost service, which
effectively allows users to be ferried around by anyone,
regardless of whether they have a professional licence.
In issuing the ban the court upheld an appeal by
associations representing taxi drivers who have long complained
about Uber's operations in Italy.
Uber's operations through the UberPop app "interfere with
the taxi service orgainsed by companies and provided by licence
holders," Judge Marangoni said in his ruling.
The problem was compounded by the increase in potential
fares during Milan Expo 2015, he added.
"It's a great victory and we didn't do it just for
ourselves and our work but also for the safety of customers,"
said taxi union representative Pietro Gagliardi, adding however
that it should have been the public institutions that took
action.
"They should have been the ones to help us, not the judges,"
said a group of taxi drivers in Milan.
Meanwhile consumer association Codacons reacted negatively
to the ban, saying it represented "major damage" to consumers.
"It restricts competition and reduces the choice for
citizens," Codacons said.
"It is unthinkable that a modern country should be deprived
of innovative systems such as Uber, which respond to market
demand and exploit the new possibilities offered by technology,"
Codacons President Carlo Rienzi said.
UberPop has already been banned in Spain and the
Netherlands, while the company is appealing against similar
interdictions in Germany and France.
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