Pressure is building in Prague on the ride hailing company Uber following the latest protest by local taxi drivers. They charge that the company is enabling people to provide unregulated taxi services and that drivers aren’t paying taxes on the money they earn. Around 2,000 taxi drivers drove slowly through the streets of Prague to bring attention to the issue. State organs have demanded that Uber drivers (and drivers from other similar platforms like Liftago or Taxify) apply for licences to transport people. The Ministry of Industry is also pushing Uber to set up an office in the Czech Republic (office agents take note!) the way Taxify has already done. Ministry officials admit that at the moment, the state lacks the legislation it would need to enforce its demands on digital platforms like Uber’s. But they said that amendments to the law that would solve the ‘problem’ should be ready soon.
