European courts have ruled that the world’s biggest ride-hailing firm is a transport company, not a digital service. As the Guardian notes, the European Court of Justice ruling is pretty clear. In the court’s words:
[A service] the purpose of which is to connect, by means of a smartphone application and for remuneration, non-professional drivers using their own vehicle with persons who wish to make urban journeys, must be regarded as being inherently linked to a transport service and, accordingly, must be classified as “a service in the field of transport” within the meaning of EU law.
The decision gives EU member countries more autonomy to regulate Uber than if it were a tech firm. Though, in reality, the ride-hailing firm is already involved in many regulatory disputes across Europe, including a ban in London that we reported recently. Indeed, in a statement, Uber said:
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