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Four Dutch Uberpop Taxi Drivers Arrested, Fined
An anonymous reader writes with news that authorities in the Netherlands have arrested four drivers sharing their car for money through the Uberpop app. The drivers were then released with a fine of EUR 4,200 (USD 5,300) each and further threatened with additional fines of EUR 10,000 (USD 12,600) for each time they might be caught doing it again. While similar bullying applied to short rentals of private rooms through sites like Airbnb hasn't had the same success so far the thoughts go to the fined drivers, hoping they won't ever be caught carrying their grandmother to the supermarket then have to explain how they dared. Uber says it will "fully support" the affected drivers."
Back in August, the ILT (the responsible party) had already been sending out warnings to drivers that what they were doing was illegal and that they could be fined up to EUR 4200. Source (in Dutch). If it has taken more than a month for them to actually fine anyone, I'd say they've been very lenient, at least based on the current laws.
Yes indeed. If you're a tourist coming to The Netherlands, expect to be severely ripped off when when using a taxi. Not only are the taxi drivers generally obnoxious and sometimes downright hostile, there's no alternative other than the few privileged companies that are allowed to pick up travelers from Schiphol airport.
A 30 minute ride will quickly add up to over 150 Euros and there's no recourse if there is any disagreement
Rent a car if possible or take the train. It's cheaper and saves you a lot of hassle.
The mountains of madness have many little plateaus of sanity - Terry Pratchett.
I think you'll find that most people don't consult "the law" as a benchmark for determining their behavior.
Right! And a lot of people are part of the reasons we have laws: Because they tend to work towards the breakdown of society, and we need the cudgel of law and order to restrain them.
That doesnt mean all laws are good or well written, but again, if the benchmark for what is legal is your own preference, you are a parasite on society to that same degree.