French Crack Down on Uber, Company Insists its French/Western European CEOs are in a “Hearing”

You know that dream where you punch out that guy you can’t stand? Well French cab companies are living the dream with their recent protests against Uber and the arrest of its French and Western European CEOs.

Mon Dieu!

The arrests, which an Uber spokesperson described as a “hearing”, capped off days of protests against the ride-sharing company which were sparked by the launch of its UberPop service (think UberX). Traditional taxi companies and taxi license holders were incensed that Uber operated their cars under a VTC license, or a tourism vehicle with a driver license.

The government not only scooped up Thibaut Simphal (Uber’s French honcho) and Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty (the Western European chief), but it also announced it was dissolving the company and it was under criminal investigation. About 200 police are now tracking down Uber drivers.

Gareth Mead, an Uber spokesman, told Arstechinca, “We are always happy to answer questions the authorities have about our service—and look forward to resolving these issues. Those discussions are ongoing. In the meantime, we’re continuing to ensure the safety of our riders and drivers in France given last week’s disturbances.”

Looks like there’s going to be a whole lot of explaining to do.

Via Ars Technica. Photo by Monika Hoinkis/flickr.