Taxi drivers in Rio, protest against court for allowing Uber

Rio de Janeiro: On Tuesday, more than thousands of Brazil’s taxi drivers rushed to the streets against a judicial decision,  even though the Mayor’s Office had forbidden it’s use, authorizing the private transport application of Uber in Rio de Janeiro, a US ridesharing firm.

Xinhua reported that at the Santos Dumont Airport that is adjacent to Rio’s Centro neighborhood in the east, the taxi drivers gathered and marched slowly towards the Copacabana district in the south, causing large queues and delays in traffic.

The protest took place in accordance with a response to the decision made a few days ago by Rio de Janeiro’s regional court of justice declaring ban on Uber invalid as it breaks the principle of free initiative included in the Brazil’s Constitution.

The judge said that the ban has also been removed as the state cannot “prohibit a legal economic activity that is open to private initiative and free competition”.

The judge in charge of the case issued fines of up to 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $13,300) to the Rio authorities for hindering Uber in the city.

Taxi drivers in Brazil’s main cities have been at war against Uber drivers since the application came in the South American country, especially in the two largest cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.