Uber to cease operations in Brussels after court ruling goes against the ride-hail service

Image credit : TaxiPoint

On Wednesday 24 November, the Brussels Appeal Court issued a ruling that means a 2015 cease & desist order issued against UberPop (which allowed private individuals to provide passenger transportation services) also applies to mobility services provided by professional LVC drivers.

This means that from 6pm on Friday 26 November, 2,000 Brussels drivers with an LVC licence will no longer be able to work on the Uber app, losing their earnings opportunities and hundreds of thousands of passengers won’t have access to the UberPop service.

In response to the ruling, Laurent Slits, Head of Belgium at Uber, said: “This decision was made based on outdated regulations written in a time before smartphones, which the government has promised and failed to reform for the last seven years.

"We are deeply concerned about the 2,000 Brussels LVC drivers who will lose their ability to generate earnings from Friday. We urge the government to move quickly to reform the taxi and LVC sector once and for all so that drivers can continue working to provide for their families.”

This court decision comes at a time when the Government has still not delivered on the LVC & taxi reform that Uber say it had promised for seven years.

The ride-hailing firm will now assess the decision and decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court.