Uber <> UberPop
Uber drivers are registered, licenced and have gone through (in France) 250 hours of training. They pay VAT and whatever income or corporate taxes their activities require them to. Their activity is legal as long as they don't pick up clients in the streets without a pre-booking (only taxis can do that).
UberPOP drivers are just ordinary people you can summon from your smartphone. All they have is (if you're lucky) a driver's licence and an insured car, but they have no specific training and won't pay any taxes, which makes their activities illegal. This is what the French government is fighting.
Of course, taxi drivers are happy to maintain the confusion, and doing all they can to hinder the legal development of Uber, as it's slowly but surely showing what an awful and over-expensive service they provide.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
