Uber taxi giant takes on Poland

Photo: wikipedia

The company, which connects passengers with drivers through a mobile app, is already active in 165 cities worldwide, spread across 42 countries.

In June this year, 30,000 taxi drivers blocked the centres of London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Lisbon in protest against Uber's expansion.

Drivers do not have to possess a taxi license or a taximeter, and all payments are made through the mobile app.

All orders for Uber drivers are placed via a text message or a website.

Swathy Prithivi, who coordinates Uber's entry to new markets, said in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily that “our premise is to be the cheapest.

“We will even be cheaper than the most popular Warsaw carriers,” she said.

However, Jaroslaw Iglikowski, chief of the Union of Warsaw Taxi Drivers has pledged that he will try and thwart Uber's advance.

“We will put pressure on politicians, and demand that they change the regulations [for firms offering taxi services],” he said. (di/nh)