Uber launch in Uruguay sparks opposition.
According to an announcement made on the companys official site yesterday, Uber is launching its service in Uruguays capital city despite protests by local cab operators. The move would potentially impact the livelihoods of the approximately 3,000 registered taxi drivers in Montevideo, who pay expensive permits and other costs Uber drivers would mostly be exempt from.
Uber, for its part, invited residents of Montevideo, a city of 1.5 million, to download its ride-sharing app. It also published a list of prices that are below tariffs regularly charged by local taxi drivers.
Last week, local cabbies belonging to the CPATU union blocked Uruguays first training session for Uber drivers by cutting traffic in downtown Montevideo outside the hotel where the class was scheduled to be held.
Uber drivers have also faced angry protests in Mexico City, Paris and other cities.
At: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/203349/uber-launch-in-uruguay-sparks-opposition
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Scenes from the taxi drivers' protest outside Uber's lair in Montevideo:
http://www.msn.com/es-us/video/noticias/uber-fuera-protestan-los-taxistas-en-uruguay/vp-BBmYCFy