Uber bows out with free drives for loyal passengers

Uber wants to gift its 10 thousand most loyal Hungarian passengers free rides. According to origo.hu, the bonus trips can be validated in the 21 European countries where Uber works. They suggest that the still active users of Uber should check their incoming emails.

‘Goodbye Budapest’ writes Uber in its advertisement, after it was declared last week that Uber leaves Hungary at noon on the 24^th of July. The Ministry of National Development and other frontbenchers reacted to the announcement about the suspense of Uber’s service. However, the startup thinks that these reactions contain a lot of inaccuracies, so they answered with an official announcement.

Uber Hungary Kft. called attention to the fact that they paid 25 million forints of taxes in 2015 as an enterprise registered in Hungary and functioning according to the operative Hungarian laws. In proportion of income: this amount is way more than what taxi firms, having billion forints income, pay.

Uber’s partners all have passenger service permissions, as it is an obligatory requirement for the usage of the Uber platform. All drivers spent about 200 thousand forints on the permissions, which meant an income for the state of hundreds of millions. The permissions were engrossed by the National Transport Authority, who engrosses the taxi permissions as well.

Uber had 1200 drivers and 160 thousand users. Uber functions until the 24^th of July in Budapest, Budaörs, Budakeszi, Nagykovácsi, Solymár, Pilisszentiván, Pilisvörösvár, Pomáz, Pilisborosjenő, Üröm, Páty, Telki, Gyál and Dunaharaszti.

At last week’s press conference, operative director Zoltán Fekete said that they informed everyone through emails. He added that they have been looking for dialogue with decision makers from the beginning, they have even stepped forward with concrete proposals but they were accepted with zero openness and willingness.

The service is suspended in Hungary for indefinite time. They’ll be working on further changes in the regulation if the decision makers show any demand. “It’s mainly on them whether or not the regulation will change, but if it happens, Uber will return”

Origo.hu talked with an Uber driver about the decision. He and his partner both made a living of Uber, while bringing up two kids. He said that he was disappointed and didn’t understand the government. To him it seems like it’s all about the money and he also thinks that taxi companies lobbied for the decision. “I can’t believe that we live in a country, where the government doesn’t care about 1200 people and the fate of their families” said the driver, who thinks that, if there is going to be a demonstration, it will be useless, as the process in already irreversible.

Photos: MTI, www.facebook.com/uberhungary

Copy editor: bm

Source: http://www.origo.hu/