German Court Bans Uber

A court in Frankfurt has imposed a nationwide ban on Uber’s ride-sharing service, ruling that the company lacked the necessary permits to pick up passengers.

The court ruled the company could no longer pick up passengers through its UberPop service, a cheaper alternative to Uber’s black car service, and it could pay upwards of $327,840 in fines for a single trip, BBC reports. Uber vowed to continue serving customers, arguing that the ban could not go into effect while the ruling was under appeal.

“You cannot put the brakes on progress,” the company said in a statement. “Uber will continue its operations and will offer UberPop ridesharing services via its app throughout Germany.”

Uber, which connects drivers and riders through a mobile app, has faced stiff opposition from regulators and entrenched taxi businesses in both the United States and abroad.

[BBC]