Uber drivers are protesting during Tuesday morning’s rush hour commute at the Montgomery roundabout.
Drivers are demonstrating against the confiscation of vehicles belonging to holders of Flemish and Walloon licences who operate in the Belgian capital.
Brussels drivers often obtain their LVC (VVC) licences from Flanders or Wallonia because it’s cheaper, but while there was no specific language regarding where a licence must be registered in the temporary solution for Uber and taxi drivers implemented in December, some drivers have had their cars seized.
Disagreement over interpretation of ‘band-aid’ law
The temporary legislation was intended to be a band-aid until true reform of the taxi sector comes this summer, but Uber and Brussels Mobility are at odds over its interpretation, and whether it applies to all drivers operating in Brussels or only those doing so while holding a licence from Brussels.
Uber drivers who’ve had their cars seized can pay 4,000 to get their vehicle back pending the results of legal proceedings, and Uber and a number of drivers have taken the matter to the Council of State for a resolution.
Uber drivers plan to gather at the Montgomery roundabout in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre around 09:00 on Tuesday.
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“All the necessary authorisations have been granted,” Fernando Redondo, chairman of ABCL (Association Belge des Chauffeurs de Limousine), told Bruzz.
From the roundabout, drivers will proceed to the office of Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS), and then on to the Brussels Parliament where a meeting on the subject is being held.
“If we all protest together and stay united, then we will undoubtedly win our battle,” Redondo said in a video message.
