The American taxi service Uber is said to have lobbied politicians, officials and journalists to gain advantages in the European market. About 30 countries are said to be affected. In addition to international heads of state such as Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, the names of three Austrian politicians also appear on the company’s lobby lists, as the Ö1 “Frühjournal” reported Monday. Ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) also met the CEO of Uber during a trip to the US.
In addition to Kurz, the names of former Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner (ÖVP) and the then Mayor of Vienna Michael Häupl (SPÖ) also appeared. According to “profil” magazine, Kurz met Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi during his 2019 US tour of Silicon Valley and talked to him about the occasional traffic law. At that time, Kurz was not a chancellor, the transitional government was in office.
Success of contacts uncertain
However, the subsequent reign of Sebastian Kurz saw a change in the law that was important for Uber. It is suspected that Uber had some persuasiveness during the meeting, but this has not been proven. Mitterlehner probably needs to be “edited” as a precursor to Kurz. It is unclear whether there was also contact with the environment of the former mayor of Vienna or even with Michael Häupl himself. The fact is, however, that a regulation has been relaxed under the red city boss that states that the return obligation for rental cars must be abolished by 2025, which could benefit the business of the transport service provider.
Uber noted only that they are “obviously exchanging information with political actors at the federal, state and municipal levels to understand under what conditions the business model in the particular country might be established”. The company, which arranges taxi rides via an app and keeps track of part of the revenue, is currently active in Vienna, Salzburg and Graz. According to a 2019 court decision, Austria’s monthly profit amounted to 1.5 million euros, “Profiel” reported.
Criticism of Uber again and again
Specifically, Uber works with recognized car rental companies. The company has been repeatedly criticized for exploiting drivers and ignoring the law. An example is data protection. This is one of the reasons it was difficult to gain a foothold in Austria. In 2015, the SPÖ and FPÖ named the company to indicate that the local taxi industry was being destroyed.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
