Belgian court deems Uber taxi service illegal

Brussels, May 4
A Brussels court ruled on Monday that the controversial transport service Uber cannot be considered legal as it does not fulfill the regulations required to operate as a taxi service.

This came as an Uber driver was convicted on Monday for breaches of taxi regulations, Xinhua news agency reported citing Belgian media.

The court ruled that it was illegal for the driver to make his car available for use as public transport.

It was the first time in Belgium an Uber driver had appeared before the court. Around 40 more are due to go before the court in the coming months.

Uber has been widely considered a controversial service across the globe. It involves customers locating through an app a driver who then takes them to their intended destination.

Uber first began operating in Belgium in February 2014. The service remains illegal in Belgium, despite a growing number of people using it.