2024-11-21T15:00:17-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/130426595/paris-erupts-in-riot-as-taxi-drivers-protest-uber Nicholas Korody 2015-06-25T19:24:00-04:00 >2024-01-23T19:16:08-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/am/ampoc8f1e30tvzdr.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>French taxi drivers pulled out the throttle in an all-out confrontation with the ultra-cheap Uber car service Thursday, smashing livery cars, setting tires ablaze and blocking traffic during a nationwide strike that caught tourists and celebrities alike in the mayhem.</p></em><br /><br /><p>Parisian taxi drivers have taken to the streets, smashing cars and burning tires to protest UberPop, a budget iteration of the car-sharing service akin to UberX in the States. Traffic came to a stop&nbsp;in the French capital, with reports of stranded travelers walking along the highway with luggage in tow, attempting to catch flights out of Charles de Gaulle airport.&nbsp;So far, 70 vehicles have been reported damaged around France and ten people arrested, according to the AP report.&nbsp;</p><p>One passenger caught in Thursday's melee was the singer Courtney Love, who tweeted throughout the experience. Love was able to escape via two men passing by on a motorcycle.&nbsp;</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/wd/wd15isdkezwehwpr.jpg"></p><p>Over the past few weeks, taxi drivers have turned increasingly violent in their opposition to the car-sharing service, which they contend unfairly undercuts their business. Unlike Uber drivers, taxi drivers have to pay tens of thousands of euros for certification each year. Drivers are also frustrated by passenger complaints over a lack of t...</p>