They are also essentially banned in Germany. They have declared illegal, although I think they still operate.
The problem here is, that they do not vet that their drivers have a professional driving license and insurance to carry paying passengers - you can't have the latter without the former. As they refused to ensure that all drivers had the correct driving license and insurance (they argued, that that is not within their remit, the courts argued, as Uber is employing/subcontracting the drivers, they have a duty to ensure that they are driving legally), they have been banned.
Without a professional license and without commercial insurance, the drivers cannot take paying passengers. What they would be allowed to do:
- Carry a passenger on a route that they were already planning to drive (E.g. car sharing going to work, taking a passenger to another town that you were already planning to visit
- If they are carrying a passenger, at best, the passenger is allowed to pay for their share of the fuel used for the journey.
There are already several ride sharing services, where people can register and share a ride to a common destination (or a town on the route). The passenger is then expected to pay their share of the fuel for the journey.
