Hungarian Taxi Drivers Demand Uber To Shut Down

Taxi drivers in Hungary have organized protests against Uber as they believe it is a rising problem for them.

Cab drivers in the Hungarian capital, Budapest organized protests against Uber because of its increasing market share amidst new laws that have increased fares of conventional cabs higher than that of the California based enterprise.

Local media has reported that over 100 cabs blocked traffic in downtown Budapest as drivers demanded government to ban Uber and related app-based cab services. Drivers told the new city regulations compelled them to make an investment in new vehicles and paint their cabs yellow, amongst other steps that have turned them into ‘uncompetitive’ against driving partners of Uber who did not have to comply with those laws and had less overheads.

According to Reuters, the organizers of the protest said, "We stand up for our rights and demand an end to this lawlessness. We demand that the Uber application be switched off. Just get it done, period.”

Media reported that the protest was extended to a complete blockade by midafternoon on Monday after negotiations with the officials of the government and city failed to yield immediate results. The Government of Hungary said it has put the matter on its agenda for a meeting on Wednesday and would consider every proposal.

Mayor of Budapest Istvan Tarlos stated on Monday that whereas the drivers of Uber do not comply with the cab regulations of Budapest, authorities of the city have neither “regulatory nor physical possibilities” to impose a ban on the organization.

Ride hailing applications such as Uber have succeeded in proving themselves as a disruptive force in the cab industry as they do not follow the conventional business model requiring professional drivers to pay high fees for licenses to drive taxis.

Uber has faced such protests in many cities across the world where it has continued to dodge regulations by claiming that it is not a cab service. In other news, International Business Times has reported that French aircraft manufacturer ‘Airbus’ is collaborating with the company to employ its HI30 and H125 helicopters to offer on-demand flights.

The testing of the service would be done at the Sundance Film festival organized in Park City, Utah starting from January 21, the CEO of Airbus spoke to a tech conference held in Germany on Sunday. The venture aims to offer helicopter flights to a larger audience, he said but not told cost of a ride. The collaboration is done at a time when he is interested in pushing innovation at Airbus.