However local taxi firms in Brussels have their own reform ideas - and have also said they are keen to poach Uber drivers to plug a shortage of taxi drivers.Ī sector spokesman recently told TaxiPro there’s a shortfall of 600+ taxi drivers in the capital which could be filled by LVC holders that have been driving for Uber. Uber suggested there is widespread backing in Belgium for reforming the 1995 rules - not just from LVC drivers who serve customers via its platform but also from traditional taxi firms. But, according to Uber, the sector as a whole has yet to see the text.
Per Reuters, a draft law to reform the rules was set out by the Belgian government in September. However the company suggests drivers have been given mixed messages, claiming authorities are sometimes telling drivers - in private - that they can continue driving.Ī spokesman for Uber called the government’s March order “mistaken” - pointing out that it had promised a reform of the law before the summer. Since then Uber drivers in the city have been operating in a legal grey zone - where they risk sanctions by continuing to drive using its app. “We urge the government to move quickly to reform the taxi and LVC sector once and for all so that drivers can continue working to provide for their families,” Slits added.īack in March the local government in Brussels banned Uber drivers from picking up rides via smartphones and geolocation. So it cannot claim that 2,000 ‘jobs’ are about to be lost since it does not provide employment contracts to the LVC drivers in question in the first place. That phrasing - “generate earnings” - refers to the fact Uber does not employ drivers directly in Belgium instead it classifies them as independent contractors.
In the statement, Slits added that the tech giant is “deeply concerned” about the 2,000 holders of LVC licenses (aka rental car with driver licences) who he said will “lose their ability to generate earnings from Friday”. Uber confirmed the Appeal Court ruling only affects drivers with Brussels licences. Per Bloomberg, which reported on Uber’s shutdown earlier, it will not apply to a small number of drivers who are licensed in a Flemish region of the country - and who will therefore still be allowed to use the app.