Uber suspends UberPop in France
Uber have released a statement saying they have suspended their ride-sharing service, UberPop in France. They announced the plan for the service to remain inactive until the resolution of the pending case before the French Constitutional Court. Other Uber services which rely on drivers with a professional license will continue to operate.&nbsp;
The service, which allows drivers who do not have a professional chauffeur’s license to pick up passengers via an Uber smartphone application, has been blasted by the country’s taxi associations as unfair competition.

In a statement released Friday, the company said that the service, UberPop, would be suspended at 8 p.m. and would remain inactive until the resolution of a case pending before the French Constitutional Court.

PARIS — Uber, the US ride-hailing company, agreed to suspend its lowest-cost service in France starting Friday evening, bowing to violent strikes last week by taxi drivers that were largely unimpeded by the government.

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“In the light of last week’s violence, we have today decided to suspend UberPop, our ride-sharing service,” until September’s court decision, said Gareth Mead, an Uber spokesman for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Uber’s other services, which rely on drivers with professional licenses, will continue to operate, he said.

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The government has said UberPop is illegal, but the company, based in San Francisco, has challenged the law that the government argues prohibits the service; the court is expected to rule in the next three months. In a separate case, two Uber executives are expected to stand trial in September over the company’s practices in France.

In a distinct change to its usually combative style, Uber adopted a conciliatory tone in its latest statement, probably in recognition of the government’s support for the taxi drivers.

“We believe there is a way forward that provides new opportunities for all drivers, including taxi drivers, as well as passengers who love the convenience of services like Uber, Heetch, and Djump,” said Mead, referring to some of the French ride-sharing services that are similar to UberPop.

The accessibility and low prices of all of Uber’s services, but especially of UberPop, have buffeted the heavily protected taxi industry here, precipitating outrage that last week tipped into violence. Taxi drivers nationwide went on strike, and a number of them took to the streets, blocking major urban access routes, causing traffic jams, and at times burning tires and occasionally assaulting Uber drivers and their customers.

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While the government called for calm, it made only a limited effort to control the violence, and it then acquiesced to the taxi unions’ demand for a crackdown on Uber. The Interior Ministry deployed additional police officers to intercept Uber drivers, and senior French officials went to great lengths to denounce Uber, whose services are available in 57 countries.

That drum beat continued Friday, with the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, saying that the government’s “firmness” in its dealings with Uber had paid off. However, his comments, made on the sidelines of a meeting in the city of Besançon, suggested that he was also aware that there might be problems with the current regulatory regime in France.

“We are not against Uber; we are not against the VTC,” he said referring to non-taxi companies that offer rides on demand using drivers who are licensed as professional chauffeurs. “We are elsewhere ready to examine the rules in this domain and consider all necessary changes, but UberPop must be forbidden.”

Taxi drivers responded warily to Uber’s decision; some sounded as if they viewed it as a trick. Didier Hogrel, the president of the National Taxi Federation, when asked if he was pleased, said: “Not at all.”

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“Uber is a specialist in communication and media hype,” he said. “We have to see if this declaration will be followed by results.’’

Jean-Michel Rebours, president of the Parisian Taxi Defense Union, sounded slightly more optimistic.

“Is there a reason for satisfaction? Yes, but with lots of questions,” Rebours said. “This is just a suspension, and what will it result in? I am nevertheless happy that the heads of UberPop in particular have taken this decision. It allows everyone to calm down a little during this period.”

Taxi drivers in France must acquire a license — costing as much as $270,000 in Paris — and have felt betrayed that unlicensed UberPop drivers are allowed to operate freely without having to bear a similar burden.

Uber has countered that there are too few taxis to satisfy demand in France and that with the country’s high unemployment rate of 10 percent, riders need low-cost alternatives. UberPop has 400,000 customers in France and about 10,000 drivers.

Uber said that it would work to help as many of its drivers as possible gain licenses as professional chauffeurs but that there were many “obstacles.” About 12,000 drivers who work with Uber have applied for licenses, but only 215 have been granted in the past eight or nine months, the company said.

Uber said users of UberPop would see a notice Friday evening on the smartphone app saying the service was suspended.