“We want to combat the illegal [drivers]. We are the official ones, we have a responsibility, we are professionals who have families,” protesting taxi driver Alexander Campos stated.
Protest of taxi drivers in #Rio against @Uber pic.twitter.com/vY8wVY2zZv
— JP Spinetto (@JPSpinetto) 24 июля 2015
Watching the citywide protest of cab drivers against @Uber in Rio from my parents's window. Cray. pic.twitter.com/S8R6VdoYBZ
— Marcos Balter (@MarcosBalter) 24 июля 2015
Rio de Janeiro taxi drivers strike against Uber pic.twitter.com/HU4GrGYoU8
— Dmitry Modin (@dimitrymodin) 24 июля 2015
Uber is a mobile app-based rideshare service that allows customers to connect with non-professional drivers for a cost that’s generally lower than that charged by licensed cab drivers.
The company claims clients have a right to choose how to ride across the city, pointing out that “innovation [in the sphere of public transportation] is crucial.”
Protests against the company — some violent — have popped up in France, Canada, Hong Kong and the US. In the US and Canada, taxi drivers have filed a lawsuits against the company.
Lawmakers in Sao Paulo and Brasilia have already voted to ban Uber following taxi driver protests there against the company; those bills are waiting on executive approval before they go into effect.