European Court’s opinion on Uber confirms IRU principle “same business, same rules”

TIN news:  IRU welcomes the opinion of the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Uber clarifying that the company is not just an intermediary between drivers and passengers but a transport service provider. The Opinion goes on to state that the company shoul, therefore, be regulated as a transport company. This supports IRU’s longstanding position stating that the providers of the same transport service should be subject to the same rules.

Umberto de Pretto, IRU Secretary General, said: “There is fundamentally no distinction between taxi booking apps and the booking platforms of the so-called transportation network companies. The taxi industry needs a level competitive playing field. The Advocate’s General Opinion is an important step in this direction.”