Uber

Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing said on Dec. 21 that it had raised $4 billion from investors, months after a funding round that made it Asia’s most valuable startup, as it presses on with a global battle with U.S. giant Uber.

Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis said on Wednesday that he felt "totally vindicated" regarding his stance on ride-hailing service Uber after the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice ruled that it should be regulated like a taxi company and not a technology service.

The service that Uber offers is one of the services in the field of transport within the meaning of European Union law, the European Court of Justice has ruled today.

The EU’s top court ruled on Dec. 20 that Uber is an ordinary transportation company instead of an app and should be regulated as such, in a decision that will be closely watched around the world.

Romanian passengers and drivers defended carpooling apps on Wednesday, as the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a transport company and must respect European Union legislation in the field.

A new taxi service that aims to provide a more comfortable experience for customers was launched in Istanbul on Dec. 19, in a bid to compete with Uber and unregistered operators.

A successful Greek company has filed a lawsuit against the head of the taxi drivers' union (SATA), accusing him of spreading "slanderous, false and abusive claims" to harm the firm's reputation.

Ride-hailing app Uber said on Dec. 4 it was joining a global public transport association to improve mobility in the cities it operates in.

General Motors aims to launch a public ride-sharing service across several cities that uses fully self-driving cars by 2019, potentially becoming the first traditional carmaker to deploy autonomous technology at scale in the real world.

Uber's US Shared Travel Service and Russian Internet Company Yandex intend to step up cooperation in Russia, the DPA reported.

Yandex is the market leader in internet search in Russia and Yandex Taxi offers its own online taxi service.