Taxi Drivers in Italy Protest Uber Car Service

iStock/Thinkstock(ROME) — Taxi drivers across Italy are taking to the streets to protest against Uber taking off in Europe.

The drivers say the car service is thriving due to unfair competition. They are demanding authorities apply the same rules to Uber drivers as are applied to taxi drivers — first and foremost, paying taxes on their income.

The protests were sparked by a court decision against a police officer who had confiscated an Uber driver’s license and fined him more than $2,000 for acting like a pirate taxi.

But Italy’s taxi unions are a force to contend with. Despite widespread complaints about long taxi waits due to too few cars in Rome, the unions have successfully blocked liberalizing the market.

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