UBER received a very hard blow today, after the Cluj court decided to ban the company's services in the city of Cluj-Napoca, but the decision is not final, therefore not enforceable, at least for now. We are talking about a decision adopted in the first instance against those from UBER, they having the possibility to appeal it within 30 days from the communication, so there will definitely be a fight between the company and the Romanian justice system.
UBER is part of this unfavorable prohibition decision because of the "unfair competition practices" that it carried out in the city of Cluj-Napoca by offering services in the field of passenger transport without having authorizations in this regard. UBER is also obliged to publish the decision in a local newspaper of wide circulation, if it will remain definitive, but the world will find out in good time anyway about such a decision with very serious effects.
UBER: Cluj Court Decides to BAN it in the City
UBER has had active cars in Cluj-Napoca since 2016, and there have been numerous incidents involving taxi drivers who are dissatisfied with the fact that they can no longer screw over customers as they did before. Of course, the taxi drivers are happy with this decision, but as long as it is not final, those from UBER still have a chance to get rid of a total ban, something that could also have repercussions on the activity in other cities, but not directly.
"Orders the cessation and prohibition of the unfair competition practices carried out by the defendants SC Uber Systems România SRL and Rasier Operations BV, consisting in the provision of services in the field of transport, involving the transport of people without holding legal authorizations, within the radius of the Cluj-Napoca municipality. Orders the publication of the provisions of this decision in a widely circulated newspaper, at the expense of the defendants. It obliges the defendants to pay in favor of the interveners the sum of 60 lei, as court costs, representing judicial stamp duty. With the right of appeal within 30 days of communication."
UBER has been fighting for some time with taxi drivers' associations, who want to see the service banned in Romania because it seriously affected their activity, the American company gathering 1 million users in Romania, or at least that's what it claims. No one knows how much money the taxi drivers lost after the launch of UBER, but it is very clear that many people are fed up with their vile attitude, and this is because the difference in the quality of the cars is not huge, but neither is the driving style.
UPDATED: Here is what the people from UBER want to say about the decision of the Cluj court.
""Hundreds of thousands of people in Romania rely on Uber for their daily commutes and thousands of drivers earn additional income by partnering with us. We are very disappointed with this decision and will appeal. As our new CEO, Dara, has stated, there is a need for services like Uber to be regulated. Therefore, we will continue the dialogue with the authorities, and in the meantime we are taking proactive steps towards a licensed model.”