The American company Uber has started a petition requesting the legalization of its car-sharing service UberPop in Brussels, revealed the firm on Friday. UberPop was deemed illegal by the Commercial Court in Brussels on Thursday.
The company was given 21 days to conform to current legislation, after which it may have to pay a 10,000-euro fine per violation. “Public reaction was strong after Thursday’s ruling so we decided to start a petition,” commented Filip Nuytemans, who runs Uber Belgium.
The petition does not attack the ruling itself, but is a protest against the antiquated taxi service legislation. “The current law dates back to 1995, a time when the internet and smartphones were irrelevant. It is too old, and hard to navigate. Signing the petition means saying no to an Uber-less Brussels and yes to progress.” “There was a plan to update the taxi sector in February. 7 months later, we are still waiting,” he added.
The petition was launched at approximately 10:00am on Friday (https://action.uber.org/brussels/), and was signed by 3,400 people in the first 3 hours. Uber originally said it would appeal the ruling, and is now considering the option. “We have 21 days to decide,” pointed out Mr. Nuytemans. Meanwhile, the Uber app remains active.
(Source: Belga)
