How Uber was able to conquer Switzerland is the aftermath of the “Uber Files” affair. A huge leak caused by a former senior executive of the Californian company who gave the press no less than 120,000 internal documents.
An international consortium of journalists has been writing about the issue for several months. A subject that also concerns Switzerland and Geneva. Having had access to these “Uber Files” Sylvain Besson, investigative journalist at Tamedia, reveals: “Uber started working in Geneva without authorization, therefore illegally”. In a specific economic model, the company often concluded that it had to launch and attack the market even if the legislation prohibited it, specifies the journalist.
“In the short term, Uber managed to impose itself with its lobbying and its tacit agreement with Pierre Maudet” – Sylvain Besson
To stay in business despite the illegality, Uber uses two systems, namely legal remedies that prolong the status quo and lobbying. Two profitable methods, explains Sylvain Besson. In his articles, the journalist recently highlighted the responsibility of a personality in this affair: the candidate for the Council of State Pierre Maudet.
Then at the head of the department of the economy, Pierre Maudet would have passed a kind of “tacit agreement” with Uber thus allowing them to continue to operate. An agreement that would imply that Pierre Maudet is the only culprit of the introduction of Uber in Switzerland? Not according to the Tamedia journalist who points out that the Californian company also had problems in other Swiss cantons to exercise. However, Sylvain Besson mentions Geneva as an exception in Romandie: “The canton of Geneva is the only one to have a specific law on taxis. We see in the data, that the leaders of Uber have spent an incredible time trying to impose themselves in Geneva, compared to the size of the city”, he notes.
Appeal filed against the agreement concluded between the State of Geneva and Uber
Reached at the end of last year, the agreement found is contested by the taxi community and their lawyer, Me Roulet. The agreement provides for the continuation of Uber’s activities against the payment of 35 million arrears of social charges and the bringing into compliance of the Californian giant. For their part, the services of Fabienne Fischer, minister in charge of the file, indicate to our colleagues from 20 Minutes that this appeal would be inadmissible, specifying: “Only the party concerned can appeal, in this case Uber”.