Uber has said it will make changes to its systems to avoid being banned in Germany after a court ruled some of its processes do not meet legal requirements.
German law states that private hire drivers must return to their company’s base after completing a trip if they do not have another job lined up. They are not permitted to drive around or park waiting for another passenger.
Trade body Taxi Deutschland filed a complaint claiming Uber does not do enough to ensure drivers and their companies adhere to the law.
In Germany, Uber now connects passengers to drivers who work for licensed private hire companies rather than individuals after a court banned the app from using unlicensed drivers in 2015 following a complaint from Taxi Deutschland.
Another law states that private hire jobs must be accepted by the business, not individual drivers. This means that when a customer requests a ride through the Uber app, the system identifies nearby drivers and sends the job to their despatch office, which must accept the request and send it to the driver by an operator.
Taxi Deutschland’s complaint also claims Uber is not enforcing this rule.
Now a court has ruled that the app's processes do not meet the requirements of the law.
In response, a spokesperson for the company said: “We will assess the court’s ruling and determine next steps to ensure our service in Germany continues.
“Working with licensed private hire vehicle operators and their professional drivers, we are committed to being a true partner to German cities for the long term.”
The company said it will continue operating in the country while it makes changes and is deciding whether to appeal the court’s decision. But Taxi Deutschland said it would request enforcement of the court’s decision to see Uber fined if it continues to offer rides.
Uber is in the process of appealing Transport for London’s decision to revoke its operator’s licence after mayor Sadiq Khan said the city had discovered flaws in the app’s systems led to 14,000 fraudulent trips in late 2018 and early 2019.