Uber, the American multinational transportation network company, is looking to expand the services it provides in the Belgian capital.
Brussels may see the addition of new services such as Uber Transit (public transport), Uber Shuttle Bus Service and Uber Green (which offers electric-powered rides), although no date is confirmed, reports New Mobility.
While Uber plans to expand its services to include other Belgian cities, its priority, for the time being, is to completely establish itself in Brussels, New Mobility adds.
In April, Uber Jump was launched in Brussels. Currently, there are 1,200 Uber Jump e-bikes in the Belgian capital. Uber North and East Europe General Manager, Jamie Heywood, wants to expand these bike services in the city.
Uber sees the need for some changes in regulations for the company to expand. According to Mr. Heywood, Uber Pool, for example, cannot be launched in Brussels, because “in Belgium, it is illegal to rent just one seat because the whole service has to be reserved by one single client”.
In January 2019, a ruling re-stated that Uber’s POP service was not permitted to operate in Brussels. This was followed by the lodging of a case by a group of taxi operators in Brussels, who demanded that Uber be considered a transport service and therefore be required to provide its drivers with holiday or sickness pay. The case was dismissed by the French-speaking Tribunal of Commerce in Brussels, who confirmed that UberX operates within the framework of the law in Brussels and should, therefore, be allowed to continue its operations, reported POLITICO.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
