Dec 20, 2017 - Technology

EU's top court rules that Uber is a transportation company

Kia Kokalitcheva

On Wednesday, the European Union's highest court ruled that Uber is a transportation service and not a technology company, in line with a court advisor's recommendation in May. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by a Spanish taxi association.

What it means: The EU's member countries now have more clarity and authority to regulate Uber as a transportation company (more strictly than as a tech service), though many already do so. As a technology company, Uber would have been protected by EU law from certain restrictions by individual countries, and would have required them to notify the commission of any new regulations.

From Uber:

This ruling will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law. However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours. As our new CEO has said, it is appropriate to regulate services such as Uber and so we will continue the dialogue with cities across Europe. This is the approach we'll take to ensure everyone can get a reliable ride at the tap of a button.

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EU's top court rules that Uber is a transportation company

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