Update (September 29):

Hundreds of taxis jammed Slovakia's capital Monday in the most recent in a series of European protests against Uber.

The Slovak drivers' complaints were nothing new: They said Uber drivers forego the licencing rules applied to traditional taxi drivers, creating unfair competition.

The government responded by warning Uber that unless its drivers comply with rules requiring proper documentation, they may face penalties including fines of €40,000, according to Reuters.

Original post (September 25):

In Association with

Uber, a ride-hailing application which recently expanded to Limerick, met a ban on some of its services in Brussels on Thursday.

This isn’t the Silicon Valley-based startup’s first tussle with European governments — it has already faced court injunctions in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. These conflicts take root in the company’s consistent bypassing of local taxi laws, which often require pricey licences.

The most problematic subgroup of Uber is UberPOP, the application’s cheaper and less regulated service, which does not require its drivers to be professionally licenced. Belgium’s ban is specific to UberPOP, giving Uber 21 days to close related operations in Brussels before risking massive penalties.

The ban followed a protest against Uber in Brussels, in which hundreds of taxis from several countries jammed city streets on 16 September. These drivers complained that when Uber drivers escape the expenses traditional taxi drivers must pay, it creates unfair competition between Uber and traditional taxi companies.

In fact, Uber has faced accusations from around the world of sexual assault by its drivers and sexist remarks against women by an executive in addition to its legal hiccups regarding taxi licences.

According to a map by Business Insider, Uber has been banned to various degrees in the following locations:

Full bans:

• Eugene, Oregon (USA)
• Nevada (USA)
• Karnataka (India)
• Maharashtra (India)
• Telengu (India)
• Thailand
• Fukuoko (Japan)

Partial bans:

• Brussels (Belgium)
• Germany
• Netherlands

Suspended operations:

• Anchorage, Alaska (USA)
• Auburn, Alabama (USA)
• Panama City Beach, Florida (USA)
• Portland, Oregon (USA)
• San Antonio, Texas (USA)
• Tuscaloosa, Alabama (USA)
• South Korea
• Spain

Banned but operating anyway:

• Hyderabad (India)
• Mumbai (India)
• New Delhi (India)
• Cape Town (South Africa)
• Taiwan
• Queensland (Australia)

Uber has offered taxi (UberTAXI) and chauffer (UberBLACK) services in Dublin since January 2014, both of which require their drivers to hold professional licences. UberPOP is not a service option in Dublin. According to the company, every driver using Uber in Dublin is fully licenced with the National Transport Authorit) and has full commercial insurance.

Uber recently announced the opening of a centre of excellence in Limerick — its first outside the USA — by the end of 2015. The centre is set to invest €4 million in Limerick, creating 300 local jobs and filling 150 of those positions by Christmas.