The Frankfurt Regional Court has assessed an action for damages brought by Taxi Deutschland against Uber BV. Uber's business model is illegal in Germany, the judge said. Uber is not allowed to mediate trips in Germany because the Amsterdam-based company Uber BV has no license for passenger transport in Germany.

Yesterday, the Frankfurt Regional Court delivered the long-awaited verdict in the case against Uber BV Taxi Deutschland eG had sued Uber because Uber does not have the required passenger transport approval under the German Passenger Transport Act. It also does not pass orders to the business location of the rental car company with which it cooperates. Instead, Uber's orders land directly in rental cars that have not yet returned to their business location. The judge found Taxi Deutschland equal on all three points.

Uber is therefore no longer allowed to mediate rides. To make the decision enforceable, Taxi Deutschland must deposit a deposit of 150.000 euros with the court. This will likely happen in early January. From that moment on, individual violations by Uber can be punished with administrative fines of up to 250.000 euros.

At Bloomberg, Uber said he will study the judgment “and we are looking at the next steps to continue providing our services in Germany,” said Tobias Froehlich, Uber's communications chief in Germany. "We work with licensed rental car entrepreneurs and their professional drivers and we want to be a real partner for German cities in the long term."

However, regarding the regional court decision, the secretary of the federal taxi organization, Michael Oppermann, said in the media: “We welcome the verdict, because the Frankfurt regional court has made it clear that the Uber system is illegal in Germany. The court ruled that the complaining taxi company was right in all respects: Uber is not licensed, but does need it, the company is cheating on customers when placing the order, and Uber is violating the obligation for rental cars to return to its registered office for a new ride is in progress. This was also evident from the jury's opinion. ”

“We therefore urge Uber to stop its illegal activities immediately. If Uber wants to be legally active on the German market, this is easily possible at any time. It goes without saying that German legislation, which regulates a range of mobility services and protects passenger safety, must be respected, Uber, like everyone else, must respect these standards. "

“This is not the first time that German judges have blown Uber back. Since its appearance on the German market, Uber has repeatedly violated German law. Unfortunately, it cannot be assumed that the trip mediation will be stopped immediately. Uber will seek protection from higher authorities and will probably use all possible professions. Nevertheless, this judgment is an important step and shows that in addition to political influence, the legal battle is also important in the fight against illegal practices. ”

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