Italy Bans Uber Across the Country
An Italian court says the ride-hailing company can’t operate within the nation’s boundaries.
An Italian court blocked all Uber services from operating across the country in a ruling handed down on Friday, claiming the Silicon Valley ride-hailing giant serves as unfair competition to Italy's major taxi organizations after those groups brought suit against the multi-billion-dollar tech company.
According to Reuters, Uber's Italian division said in an official statement that it was "shocked" by the court's ruling, and that the company—which operates in 570 cities around the globe—would appeal the ruling.
The Court of Rome's official judgement covers all of Uber's services in the European country, including a few likely familiar to American consumers, such as Uber Black and UberX, and several that may not be quite as well-known, including Uber Select, UberXL, and Uber Lux.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere Della Serra, Uber must begin shutting down its services within 10 days. Judge Alfredo Landi reportedly also imposed a €10,000 fine on the ride-hailing company for every additional day that the company violates the agreement beyond then.
Questions, comments, or tips? Contact the author: will@thedrive.com
