In Finland, Uber drivers may face criminal persecution and heavy fines if they do not have the required taxi permits. The investigations are being held as a part of a police crackdown against drivers who do not carry the correct taxi permits or don’t have them at all.
According to Pekka Seppala, an inspector for Helsinki Police Department, a total of 50 drivers are being investigated. Even though the Uber Technologies Inc. app is available in Helsinki, drivers are required to have a permit. Police officers are finding that many drivers don’t have these permits.
The root of the problem is a partner of Uber: UberPop. UberPop is similar to UberX (which is used in the U.S). UberPop allows unlicensed drivers to use their own cars to drive people around. This is made possible because Uber executes background checks on its potential UberPop drivers. Uber also ensures that the cars meet a certain standard and are covered by insurance.
UberPop services were removed from Paris, where UberPop faced legal conflicts. UberPop was also removed from the Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary.
Now, police officers are pulling over UberPop drivers to check if they have the proper license. Those who are caught without a license will have to pay a fine that is equivalent to how much they earned on the job.
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