The battle of the Black Cabs hits the streets
European cities have been brought to a standstill after taxi drivers launched a protest against private taxi service, Uber.
Hundreds of taxi drivers in cities like London, Paris and Rome stopped work to protest against the company which they claim is breaking local taxi rules.
According to The Guardian, up to 12,000 black cabs clogged the streets of London, bringing Trafalgar Square to a standstill.
Taxi drivers in Paris blocked the city’s major airports and reduced their services during the peak-hour rush.
Private taxi services have shaken up the taxi industry, with a massive increase in people choosing to use apps like Uber instead of traditional cabs.
A spokesperson for Uber denied that the company did not comply with local regulations.
“What you are seeing today is an industry that has not faced competition for decades,”said Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Uber Regional General Manager for Europe.
“Now finally we are seeing competition from companies such as Uber which is bringing choice to customers,” Gore-Toty told Al Jazeera.
A statement from the company said that the London Taxi Drivers Association was “stuck in the dark ages” and “intent on holding London to ransom”.
You don’t want to be driving in central London right now. Anti-Uber cab protest standstill http://t.co/0vuVLQ8oo1 pic.twitter.com/IY1QOxceKN
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) June 11, 2014
In pictures: Uber protests cause traffic chaos across Europe http://t.co/7z3qi8E2lL pic.twitter.com/nSNaAQukUy
— SBS News (@SBSNews) June 12, 2014
Protests against Uber spark chaos and traffic jams from London to Madrid http://t.co/X3MqgzGB0M pic.twitter.com/SMXSiBqqU7
— Mashable (@mashable) June 11, 2014
Uber wins out after black cabs gridlock London http://t.co/MR50bphPPk (Pic: Daniel Leal-Olivas/I-Images) pic.twitter.com/DYBQqYh9Cc
— Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) June 11, 2014
Taxi drivers mount giant anti-Uber protests across Europe and cause traffic jams everywhere. http://t.co/n5hhi1JClC pic.twitter.com/JnXUYzmK3e
— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) June 11, 2014
London cabbies aren’t too thrilled about Uber http://t.co/MKkxjW29YY pic.twitter.com/HtPZGVbIRs
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 11, 2014