Taxi Drivers to Protest Uber in Bratislava
- New Europe Investor
- September 22, 2015
Taxi Drivers in Bratislava are to protest in the city on the 28th September over the introduction of Uber to the city.
500 taxis are expected to join the protest which will see them drive through the city over the SNP bridge towards the centre.
Uber, which entered Bratislava in August has been steaming through traditional taxi markets all over the world, and the developments of anger from taxi drivers in Slovakia, is far from unusual.
Officially taxi drivers complain about the lack of regulation surrounding Uber drivers. There are no official taxi metres, licences or other official documents required to be an Uber driver in many jurisdictions for example. In addition, they offer concern for citizens who when using Uber, threaten their own safety according to Ondrej Wenzl, Chair of the Union of Taxi-Drivers of Bratislava.
However, the reality is that the injection of supply with few barriers to entry has led to a lowering in demand for traditional taxis, threatening their livelihoods.