Taxi strike Friday means no Uber rides in Maastricht

Taxi drivers in Maastricht are stopping work on Friday. They are striking against Uber. Through the Uber app, it will not be possible to book a ride in Maastricht that day.

What is happening?

Taxi drivers are unhappy about the commission that Uber charges on every ride. This commission can be as high as 50 percent. In Uber’s early years, this percentage was around 5 percent and ride prices were higher. Drivers now keep less money from each ride than before.

The action started with taxi drivers in Maastricht. Drivers in Venlo and Roermond then joined the strike after reading about the action in Maastricht.

Uber has taken over a large part of the taxi market in a short time. Besides Uber, Bolt is also active, but little remains of the traditional phone and booking taxi companies. In Amsterdam, a Dutch alternative called NLCab was started by two taxi drivers. This platform promises to keep commissions below 5 percent, but it is not yet available outside Amsterdam.

What does this mean for you?

If you need transport in Maastricht on Friday, keep the following in mind:

• You will likely not be able to book an Uber ride in Maastricht on Friday.
• Check if you can call a local taxi company (taxicentrale) instead.
• Public transport, such as bus or train, will keep running as usual.
• Build in extra time if you depend on road transport.

Good to know

You can read more about the strike and its background in the L1 Nieuws article.