Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz commented for the first time today on the Uber application which is being introduced in Israel and is aimed at revolutionizing the taxicab and transportation industry.
"We won't allow the taxi industry to be harmed," said Katz at a conference on public transport organized by Morag Consultants. "We expect everybody to respect the rules of the State of Israel and to act according to its laws. It is inconceivable that a company should come here from abroad and should be allowed to operate outside the rules and laws that apply to all taxi drivers and everyone else. There has to be equality here. I repeat, I will not lend a hand to harm to the taxi industry, which in any case is in difficulties and needs aid."
Katz's comments were apparently directed at Uber's UberX service, which enables private drivers to offer paid-for rides, a service which the company does not intend to offer in Israel at this stage. At present, the company is only promoting its regular taxi ride service, which is similar to the service provided by GetTaxi, which has been operating in Israel for some time.
Ministry of Transport spokesperson Avner Ovadia made clear to "Globes" that if Uber only operated taxis, there should be no problem. "Nevertheless," he added, "it will require a business permit as a taxi rank from the municipality in which it operates." As for the UberX service, Ovadia said this was illegal, that only a taxi driver could charge for journeys in a private vehicle, and that this required special training and meeting several conditions, besides the fact that the vehicle itself requires a special license.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 26, 2014
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