Ride-hailing company Uber is continuing its expansion in Belgium and has announced it will be available in the country's Flemish region from next week.
Users in Flanders will be able to catch an Uber ride from 9 November as the American company consolidates plans to grow its market in the country despite resistance from taxi unions.
The highest concentration of drivers will be located in major cities of the Dutch-speaking region such as Antwerp, Ghent and the small university city of Leuven.
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As it consolidated growth in the capital city, Uber said that demand has been growing for its ride-hailing services in several cities in Flanders.
Uber said that, in recent months, a lot of cities in the Flemish region had downloaded the mobile app and began conversations with drivers.
As the company grows in Brussels, accusations of unfair competition from taxi unions have been compounded with instances and reports of insecurity or even sexual harassment, leading it to come under increased scrutiny.
The regional government in Brussels recently announced that prospective drivers for Uber and other similar app-based services would be subject to preliminary screenings similar to those concerning the taxi sector.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
