Uber bosses questioned by French police amid government attempts to enforce ban
Two executives of the controversial taxi app Uber have been questioned by French police as the startup faces a government crackdown following violent protests
Simphal Thibault and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, general managers for France and Western Europe respectively, are being questioned over the US company's activities, a French prosecutor said, amid tighter restrictions on the ride-sharing app in the country.
"Our general managers for France and Western Europe today attended a hearing with the French police," Uber said in a statement to City A.M.
"We are always happy to answer questions the authorities have about our service — and look forward to resolving these issues. Those discussions are ongoing. In the meantime, we’re continuing to ensure the safety of our riders and drivers in France given last week's disturbances."
French President Francois Hollande has demanded Uber be banned in the country following violent scenes of rioting by Paris taxi drivers against the service last week.
France's interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve enforced a ban on Uber on Friday, calling the company "cynical" and "arrogant" and ordering Paris police to seize any cars defying the ban.
He also said the action was "wide enough to cover the statements of Uber Pop managers" and that inciting people to defy the ban was a "criminal offence".
Uber France general manager Thibaud Simphal said the ban "changed nothing" and demand for the service would continue, Reuters reports.
Uber has started a petition of support for the service in France, where it said it had more than 200,000 passengers last month.