Magyar

The 24th of July was a sad day as we had to say goodbye to Budapest’s Uber Generation: more than 160,000 riders and nearly 1,200 microentrepreneurs who partnered with Uber to make an honest income. We thank each and every one of you for your support during the last few weeks. The huge outpouring online, and the peaceful protest on Heroes square for “one last Uber ride”, really moved us.

Although leaving Budapest was hard, it was the right thing to do now that the risks for our partners are so high because of new legislation.

But we are not giving up on them, or on Budapest. Uber has filed a complaint with the European Commission as we believe the legislation breaches the fundamental principles of European law. It is specifically designed to ensure a taxi monopoly at the cost of the public and to prevent the development of innovative alternatives.

We saw something similar in Spain when taxi drivers initially persuaded a court to block access to the Uber app in 2014. That was overturned, and earlier this year we were welcomed back with a licensed service. It is a licensed service Uber tried to operate in Hungary as well, but was forced out.

There is a growing recognition of the need for regulatory reform and clarity. The European Commision recently published its “European agenda for the collaborative economy” that makes clear that this is an important and growing part of every country’s economy. National regulations should support its development and not hinder it. The document also says that EU laws can lift local restrictions when they are not strictly meant to protect public interest.

We hope we will be able to return to Budapest one day soon. Hungary needs a service that allows people to push a button and get a ride. Or push a button and get work.

To the Uber generation of Budapest, we are not giving up on you.

Robbie Khazzam, CEE Regional Manager at Uber