Uber has pulled the plug on its ride-sharing service UberPop in France, after protests by Paris taxi drivers turned violent last week and two of their top executives were arrested Monday and will stand trial.
UberPop, which allows everyday car-owners to make extra cash by ferrying the app-users around town, will cease operating at 8 p.m. today for an unspecified period of time.
Uber’s other services will continue operating in the country.
Thomas Meister, communication director for Western Europe, said the company made the decision because of safety concerns for drivers and riders.
Attacks on Uber cars have been widespread in France, with vehicles being damaged and passengers harassed. Even rocker Courtney Love got caught up in the fracas, tweeting that taxi protesters had attacked a car she was travelling in with stones and metal bats.
Despite significant push-back from French authorities, including raids on its offices and court decisions that challenged the company’s legality, Uber has until now resisted pressure.
In fact, the company recently expanded its French operations.
Before deciding whether UberPop would be re-introduced into France, Meister told POLITICO the company is awaiting a constitutional court decision that will analyze the legality of a French law that banned apps such as UberPop.
While the so-called Thévenoud law came into force at the start of this year, the courts have been reticent to enforce it.
Uber has also complained about the law to the European Commission, which warned France that its laws must not discriminate between competitors and must respect freedom of establishment.
This is not the first time the company has bowed to pressure and turned its back on a market. Uber has been forced out of several states in the U.S. as a result of police crackdowns or taxi protests.