NYT piece on the "sharing economy"

[Trillo]

4. Berlin banned Uber to protect licensed taxi drivers

http://fortune.com/2014/08/14/uber-berlin-band/

The Berlin state government has become the second German city to ban ride-sharing startup Uber's app, saying it needed to protect passengers, Uber's drivers–and the city's licensed taxi drivers.

Uber's general manager in Germany, Fabien Nestmann said in a blog post that the company will appeal the ruling, having already managed to overturn a similar ban in Hamburg.

The Berlin Senate said in a statement explaining its decision Wednesday that it was an unacceptable risk to public safety that passengers be transported in unlicensed cabs by unlicensed drivers. But it added that “the basic thought of protecting the taxi business also plays a role.”