Taxi drivers from all over Croatia protested against Uber yesterday in Zagreb with a mass road blocking. They parked their taxis on all the left turnings and therefore created huge tailbacks all over the capital. Božo Miletić, the president of the Dubrovnik Taxi Association, claimed that between 600 and 700 vehicles from all over the country, from Dubrovnik to Zadar and Istria, all gathered in the Croatian capital to protest against the online taxi service Uber.

“We're looking for a ban of Uber in Croatia. The law is on our side but it is not being implemented. In the last two years we have exhausted all legal possibilities and nothing left to us except this kind of action. We just expect the state to enforce regulations,” commented Miletić. Adding that “We aren’t against the competition, in many countries Uber is banned. All taxi drivers would have to work under the same conditions.”

Uber in Croatia reacted to the demonstration in the capital saying that “We believe that blocking the city is dangerous for citizens and the infrastructure of the city. Such pressure is unacceptable today and represents the relic of some of the past times, and is not an example of a modern European state. We feel that problems can be solved in a different way.”

Croatian taxi drivers have been in constant disagreement with Uber since the online platform started. Uber has already been banned in a number of countries and cities around the world. Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria in Europe have all banned Uber whilst in the US the online service is banned in Alaska, Oregon. Also Uber is banned in parts of Australia. Will Croatia be the latest country to ban outright Uber?

Protests against Uber in Zagreb