Uber Germany: Frankfurt court issues first injunction against taxi app driver
Uber has suffered a fresh blow in Germany after a Frankfurt taxi operator won a temporary injunction against an Uber partner driver.
The driver will no longer be able to offer services through the taxi app and was punished with a €1,000 fine. Furthermore, the driver could face a €250,000 fine or a six-month jail sentence if he continues to offer his services for a profit via UberPop.
The court concluded the driver did not have the necessary legal permits to operate under German law.
The driver was caught thanks to a sting operation organised by the Frankfurt taxi association, according to Der Spiegel.
Earlier this month, the Frankfurt regional court imposed an injunction on ride-sharing service UberPop, banning it throughout Germany. Uber can face fines up to €250,000 fine per trip if it is caught violating the ban.
However, after the ruling the company vowed to fight the prohibition and continue operations. Responding to the ruling, an Uber spokesman said:
We believe innovation and competition is good for everyone, riders and drivers, everyone wins. You cannot put the brakes on progress. Uber will continue its operations and will offer Uberpop ridesharing services via its app throughout Germany.
UberPop was launched earlier this year and works by using drivers not directly employed by Uber.
Dieter Schlenker, the chairman of Taxi Deutschland, commented:
The high sums involved indicate that German regulators take this subject seriously. We want to emphasise that the Uber driver only risks a penalty if he does not observe the ban.