Uber drivers who had their car impounded by Brussels for operating in the city with a Flemish or Walloon chauffeur’s (LVC) licence can get their confiscated vehicle back, but only if they can pay a deposit of €4,000, according to lawyer Julien Tondreau.
Uber drivers without Brussels LVC licences have been having their vehicles seized by the city since January, with about 30-40 cars impounded.
The American-based ride-hailing app and Brussels Mobility are at odds over the interpretation of emergency legislation intended to allow LVC drivers to keep working while a new Taxi Plan is sorted out.
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Uber and other stakeholders have brought the matter before the courts, but it could take months for a ruling and in the meantime “a form of disproportionality had arisen,” Tondreau argued.
As a result, the Brussels public prosecutor agreed to lift the seizures.
Deposit will only be returned if court rules in favour of driver
“It was agreed that in exchange for the deposit of a guarantee, the vehicles would be released pending the ruling of the police court,” said Tondreau.
If the police court rules in the drivers' favour, they’ll get back the €4,000 deposit, which is the minimum fine that the police court can pronounce.
Fernando Redondo, chairman of the Belgian Association of Limousine Drivers (ABCL), said he is working on a fund to help the drivers concerned to pay the deposit, Belga News Agency reports. He is also consulting with the police about another demonstration on 29 March, against the seizures.
