Uber Suspends Carpooling App After French Protests

Uber, the app-based taxi service, is to suspend its low-cost UberPOP business in France following sometimes violent protests by rival French taxi drivers, the firm said in a statement on Friday.



Registered cabbies launched protests across France on June 25 against the California-based company, claiming unfair competition. Violence flared in some cities as demonstrators burned tyres and attacked vehicles, leading riot police to intervene with tear gas.



Interior minister Berard Cazeneuve called for UberPOP to be banned and asked Paris police chief to prohibit the service.



Separately, Uber France chief Thibaud Simphaud and another executive face trial in September over "deceptive commercial practices" and complicity in illegal activities.



In the statement, Uber said the service would be suspended from 8 p.m. local time (1800GMT).



"In the light of last week's violence, we have today decided to suspend UberPOP, our ride sharing service, until September's Constitutional Court decision," the statement said. UberPOP was declared illegal in January but allowed to continue operating until a ruling by the country's top court.



The car-pooling app puts people in touch with those offering ride-sharing journeys, reducing each person's travel expenses. The company says it has more than million users in France.



In an interview with French daily Le Monde, Simphaud said Uber changed its mind "in a spirit of bringing peace".



He added: "We want to create a spirit of reconciliation and dialogue with public authorities to show we are acting responsibly."



Uber's licensed cab service will continue as usual. - Ile-de-France