Uber Really Doesn’t Exist In These Cities?

HUNGARY

Hungary faced the same dilemma that every city and county that has Uber faced: should ride-sharing drivers face the same requirements as a taxi driver? They are, after all, basically exactly the same as a taxi. But in many places, they are most certainly treated differently and not required to adhere to the same regulations. So because of this, Hungary banned the app throughout the country.

DENMARK

Denmark is a beautiful country that can make for a great vacation. Especially a city like Copenhagen. But in 2016 they passed a law that said all taxis were required to have seat occupancy sensors and fare meters. Uber did not like this and just completely withdrew from the country. But luckily at least Copenhagen is a great bicycle-friendly city.

CHINA

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. China regularly goes out of their way to keep their people being exposed to certain luxuries, including things as simple as access to certain websites. But oddly enough, the decision to not exist in China was made by Uber and it was an economic one. They existed there for a few years, but reportedly were losing roughly $1 billion a year in doing so! So they quickly removed themselves from China entirely.

NORTHERN TERRITORY, AUSTRALIA

Uber is still available in most of Australia, especially the major cities. But if you ever end up in the northern territory, like in cities such as Alice Springs or Darwin, for example, you better have your own transportation figured out, because Uber doesn’t exist there. They withdrew from the area after a new law was passed requiring car owners to pay a license fee. Uber saw the fees as too expensive and inefficient.

FRANCE, ITALY, FINLAND, GERMANY, AND THE NETHERLANDS

We’re lumping all these countries together because the app is only partially banned in certain parts of these countries. In Germany, for example, it basically only exists in major cities like Berlin and Munich. While in the other countries, it exists but only professionals are able to use the app as a driver. The average Joe Schmo can’t take it up as a side hustle.

LONDON… MAYBE

Technically Uber is still operating in London for the moment. London did rule in 2017 to ban the app from the city, but as Uber is currently appealing the decision it’s still available. London’s main problem with the app was legal accountability. They were unhappy with the minimal background checks drivers had to go through and Uber’s limited system for reporting criminal offenses. So it could be gone very soon… but it’s still there for now.