Uber ordered to pay nearly 850,000 euros to taxis for unfair competition

The Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday October 4 ordered Uber France to compensate 149 taxi drivers nearly 850,000 euros in total, in the face of acts of “unfair competition” linked to the activity of its former Uberpop offer. Developed in France between February 2014 and July 2015, it made it possible to connect customers with individuals behind the wheel of their personal vehicle.

These individuals could thus exercise “an additional paid activity” without having to “comply with the regulations then in force for the private transport of people for a fee”recalled the court of appeal. “The court held that the UberPop offer, through the Uber mobile application (…), characterizes acts of unfair competition with regard to taxi drivers who themselves respect the regulations for the same activity “she judges.

The court thus orders Uber France to pay each of the plaintiffs 1,500 euros in damages for their moral damage, compared to 500 euros at first instance in November 2021. While they obtained nothing at first instance, the 149 Taxis will also be compensated on a case-by-case basis for their economic loss, for amounts ranging from around 1,400 euros to more than 6,000 euros. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Jonathan Bellaiche, quantified with AFP the total amount of compensation to “almost 850,000 euros”.