Before Delhi, Uber taxi service faced trouble in Germany for violating laws

New Delhi, Dec 8: International mobile cab-booking company, Uber, which has been banned by the Delhi government after one of its drivers was arrested on charges of raping a woman, had in the past got into trouble with the German government for violating the country's laws.

According to media reports, two of Uber's services - standard UberPop and premium UberBlack - were banned by authorities in Berlin and Hamburg earlier this year because the company and its drivers lacked licenses mandatory for taxis, the Wall Street Journal said.

However, after a long-drawn legal battle, the service provider UberPop cut fares in the two cities that allowed it to have drivers without a license to ply taxis. The service apparently collapsed in German capital Berlin after the price cut because lower fares made it less attractive for drivers to offer their services.

A Berlin court also ruled in September that there was no way of telling whether private drivers using the UberPop mobile phone app "were fit for the special responsibility of carrying passengers".

San Francisco-based Uber, valued at $18 billion, has run into problems with taxi operators in many cities around the world where it operates.

Uber, which operates in 51 countries, has been blacklisted by the Delhi government from providing any transport service in the national capital in future.

In Delhi, action was taken against the company after the accused driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, who allegedly assaulted and raped a 25-year-old woman here Friday night, was arrested from Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh.

After Uber's name came up in the case, the app-based ride-sharing service issued a statement Sunday, saying it has given police all details of the driver and GPS information but absolved itself of any responsibility for the crime.

IANS