Court Rules that Uber Must Stop Operating and Mediating Taxi Service

Bratislava, March 27 (TASR) – The company Uber must stop operating its taxi service in Slovakia, as it uses persons and vehicles that fail to meet requirements set by Slovak legislation, TASR learnt from the Civic Association of Licensed Taxi Drivers (OZKT) on Tuesday.

Uber is not allowed to mediate its taxi service with drivers that fail to meet the same conditions required from taxi drivers, according to a Bratislava I District Court verdict issued in mid-February. This means that the company will have to switch off its mobile application in Slovakia.

The court’s decision was the result of a complaint filed by the OZKT against Uber in January. The OZKT welcomed the valid and enforceable verdict on taking immediate action against Uber. “We find this verdict to be the logical outcome of our several-month-long fight for equality in business in the field of taxi services. The court fully identified itself with our claims, thus confirming the fact that Uber was mediating taxi services through drivers and vehicles that are at odds with Slovak legislation and harm the business environment,” OZKT representatives have told TASR.

Uber must stop providing its taxi services immediately, as the deadline for appeal has already lapsed, which means the verdict is valid and there’s no possibility to contest it.

Over 100,000 users have registered with the Uber application in the more than two years of its operation on the Slovak market. Bratislava taxi drivers have repeatedly protested against Uber since its arrival, claiming that it was ignoring Slovak legislation. With its extremely low prices, the service was distorting the business environment. Taxi drivers have been declaring for long time that they do not oppose these mobile applications as such, but that they only want equal business conditions and adherence to the law by all.