French interior minister says UberPop must be closed down

PARIS (AP) — France's interior minister, in a bid to halt a day of sometimes violent protests by taxi drivers angered by UberPop, said Thursday that the low-cost car service must be shut down.

Bernard Cazeneuve's announcement came after striking taxi drivers angered at a loss of income caused by cheap services like UberPop blocked highways, burned tires and smashed cars around France.

Riot police chased strikers from Paris' ring road, where protesters torched tires in the middle of the roadway and swarmed onto exit ramps at rush hour.

Uber's more expensive livery service is still legal but a source of intense frustration for French taxi drivers, who pay tens of thousands of euros (dollars) for the equivalent of medallions and who face customer complaints that they are being resistant to changes such as credit cards and geolocation.

Fast-moving technological innovations such as smartphone apps have given the French government headaches when it comes to adapting national laws.

[...] in France, where unemployment rate is in the double-digits — and far higher among young men and unskilled workers — many of the jobless are looking for economic opportunities wherever they can find them.

Even Interior Ministry officials admit the emergence of Uber and similar services — which can feature perks such as free bottled water, polite drivers and the chance to pay by credit card — have created a competitive market that has forced changes in the taxi industry.

Serge Metz CEO of the G7 taxi service acknowledged room for improvement, especially in terms of quality of service that taxis offer, but said unfair competition was making drivers' lives impossible.