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The ride-sharing application UBER has been banned in Cluj Napoca as of Friday, following the decision of the Court of Appeals in a lawsuit opened by taxi drivers.
The lawsuit was opened two years ago. The first court had also ruled in favour of the taxi drivers on ground of unfair competition, digi24.ro informs.
The UBER representatives retorted: „ Today’s decision is disappointing, but we want to assure our riders and driver partners who rely on us that the Uber app will continue to work in Cluj. Meanwhile, we have changed the way we operate and we currently cooperate only with authorized transportation operators. Many EU countries have passed new regulations which recognize mobility options such as Uber, thus encouraging better choice for their citizens. We trust Romania will soon join this growing trend”.
In Bucharest, the Confederation of Operators and Carriers in Romania (COTAR) staged repeated protests in Victoriei Square to complain against the drivers using the UBER/Taxify (Bolt) platforms. The Government has promised to regulate the issue. The latest protest took place in early April.
At the time, the two companies issued a joint communique, arguing that 1 in 10 Romanians use such services and that 7 out of 10 youngsters see the applications as an alternative to the personal car and 9 out of 10 want the authorities to stimulate such services.
“So far, this new industry of alternative transport services has paid tens of millions of euros to the economy, in just several years, and to new jobs with taxes paid to the public budgets. The potential is huge and our joint commitment is to further invest in developing the industry in Romania. We wish to work together with the authorities in order to render more efficient the urban transportation, to cut pollution and to solve the parking crisis in the large cities,” the release further read.
The message concluded by saying that an update is needed for the legal framework, however such changes should favour the development of the industry.
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