Real-time ridesharing

Taxi drivers across Spain joined a strike on July 30 against ride hailing competitors such as Uber and Cabify who they say unfairly threaten their livelihoods.

Istanbul Mayor Mevlüt Uysal has denied recent reports that popular ridesharing app Uber could freely operate in Turkey's largest city if its drivers pick up a touristic transport license.

An amendment in the multi-bill of prior actions demanded by Greece's creditors which foresees the further liberalization of the taxi market has prompted a reaction from Athens's cabbies, who called a 24-hour strike on Wednesday until 6 a.m. on Thursday and are threatening more.

Uber is a terrorist organization and users of the ridesharing app are traitors to the nation, Istanbul Taxi Drivers Union head İrfan Öztürk said on April 12, amid continued tension between Uber drivers and regular taxi drivers in Turkey's largest city.

The ride-hailing app Uber announced Thursday that it would be suspending its licensed services in Greece from next Tuesday, reacting to new laws passed last month that restrict its operations.

The move relates to the service UberX, which uses professional licensed drivers, not to UberTaxi, which uses local taxi drivers and which Uber said it would seek to continue with.

Ride-hailing service Uber said on Thursday it would suspend its licensed service in Greece after the approval of local legislation which imposes stricter regulation on the sector.

Uber, which operates a licensed service in the Greek capital, has faced opposition from local taxi drivers who accuse it of taking their business.

A tense session is expected in Parliament on Tuesday as MPs are to debate a draft bill imposing a series of restrictions on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Beat that will make it difficult for those companies to gain a strong foothold in Greece. 

A draft bill expected to be debated in Parliament in the coming days imposes a series of restrictions on ride-hailing apps such as Uber that will make it difficult for those companies to gain a strong foothold in the Greek market.

Hundreds of taxi drivers marched in central Athens on Tuesday to protest at what they called an "invasion" by Uber, and attacked passing cars they thought were being used by the ride-hailing service.

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.