During a day of protests by taxi drivers in Paris, an Uber car carrying a technology executive was left with slashed tires and broken windows. January 13, 2014 2:51 AM PST Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan (Credit: Five by Five) The idea behind the Uber car service -- use a smartphone app to easily summon a car, inform the driver about your destination, and pay -- got its start in Paris. But resistance in the French capital turned ugly Monday when an attack left an Uber car with slashed tires and a broken window. "Got attacked in an Uber by cab drivers on strike near Paris airport: smashed windows, flat tires, vandalized vehicle, and bleeding hands," tweeted Kat Borlongan, co-founder of Five by Five, a firm specializing in the idea of open data. "Attackers tried to get in the car but our brave Uber driver maneuvered us to safety, changed the tire on the freeway, and got us home," she said. "We're fine. Grateful that our Uber driver was cool-headed and that the doors were locked," she added. French tech blog Rude Baguette reported that Eventbrite Chief Technology Officer Renaud Visage also was in the car. Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan tweeted about an attack on the Uber car she was riding in. (Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) Related stories UberX cuts fares by more than 15 percent in top US cities Uber bans driver suspected of vehicular manslaughter Uber warns users of New Year's Eve surge pricing Get ready for Uber to hit overdrive with delivery biz Uber kicks off the holidays with Christmas tree deliveries The taxi strike involving a road-clogging drive from Paris' two major airports to central Paris, is protesting " The traditional taxi business have often been hostile toward Uber and similar rivals, and many cities are also imposing obstacles. In France, the resistance took the form of a rule starting Januar 1 that requires a minimum 15-minute wait before an Uber-like service can actually pick up a passenger. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick at LeWeb 2013 (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET) Uber fights back by rallying its customer base, said Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a December appearance at the LeWeb conference here. Allocab is fighting the 15-minute wait rule with an appeal, FrenchWeb.fr reported, and it's also launched a Twitter campaign against the VTC rule. France has a strong reputation for protecting its workers -- something that established businesses and startups don't like. Employees and union leaders held executives captive in labor negotiations involving a Goodyear tire plant early this year, and venture capitalists tussled with a French minister at LeWeb over regulatory difficulties.

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During a day of protests by taxi drivers in Paris, an Uber car carrying a technology executive was left with slashed tires and broken windows. January 13, 2014 2:51 AM PST Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan (Credit: Five by Five) The idea behind the Uber car service -- use a smartphone app to easily summon a car, inform the driver about your destination, and pay -- got its start in Paris. But resistance in the French capital turned ugly Monday when an attack left an Uber car with slashed tires and a broken window. "Got attacked in an Uber by cab drivers on strike near Paris airport: smashed windows, flat tires, vandalized vehicle, and bleeding hands," tweeted Kat Borlongan, co-founder of Five by Five, a firm specializing in the idea of open data. "Attackers tried to get in the car but our brave Uber driver maneuvered us to safety, changed the tire on the freeway, and got us home," she said. "We're fine. Grateful that our Uber driver was cool-headed and that the doors were locked," she added. French tech blog Rude Baguette reported that Eventbrite Chief Technology Officer Renaud Visage also was in the car. Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan tweeted about an attack on the Uber car she was riding in. (Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) Related stories UberX cuts fares by more than 15 percent in top US cities Uber bans driver suspected of vehicular manslaughter Uber warns users of New Year's Eve surge pricing Get ready for Uber to hit overdrive with delivery biz Uber kicks off the holidays with Christmas tree deliveries The taxi strike involving a road-clogging drive from Paris' two major airports to central Paris, is protesting " The traditional taxi business have often been hostile toward Uber and similar rivals, and many cities are also imposing obstacles. In France, the resistance took the form of a rule starting Januar 1 that requires a minimum 15-minute wait before an Uber-like service can actually pick up a passenger. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick at LeWeb 2013 (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET) Uber fights back by rallying its customer base, said Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a December appearance at the LeWeb conference here. Allocab is fighting the 15-minute wait rule with an appeal, FrenchWeb.fr reported, and it's also launched a Twitter campaign against the VTC rule. France has a strong reputation for protecting its workers -- something that established businesses and startups don't like. Employees and union leaders held executives captive in labor negotiations involving a Goodyear tire plant early this year, and venture capitalists tussled with a French minister at LeWeb over regulatory difficulties.

During a day of protests by taxi drivers in Paris, an Uber car carrying a technology executive was left with slashed tires and broken windows. January 13, 2014 2:51 AM PST Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan (Credit: Five by Five) The idea behind the Uber car service -- use a smartphone app to easily summon a car, inform the driver about your destination, and pay -- got its start in Paris. But resistance in the French capital turned ugly Monday when an attack left an Uber car with slashed tires and a broken window. "Got attacked in an Uber by cab drivers on strike near Paris airport: smashed windows, flat tires, vandalized vehicle, and bleeding hands," tweeted Kat Borlongan, co-founder of Five by Five, a firm specializing in the idea of open data. "Attackers tried to get in the car but our brave Uber driver maneuvered us to safety, changed the tire on the freeway, and got us home," she said. "We're fine. Grateful that our Uber driver was cool-headed and that the doors were locked," she added. French tech blog Rude Baguette reported that Eventbrite Chief Technology Officer Renaud Visage also was in the car. Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan tweeted about an attack on the Uber car she was riding in. (Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) Related stories UberX cuts fares by more than 15 percent in top US cities Uber bans driver suspected of vehicular manslaughter Uber warns users of New Year's Eve surge pricing Get ready for Uber to hit overdrive with delivery biz Uber kicks off the holidays with Christmas tree deliveries The taxi strike involving a road-clogging drive from Paris' two major airports to central Paris, is protesting " The traditional taxi business have often been hostile toward Uber and similar rivals, and many cities are also imposing obstacles. In France, the resistance took the form of a rule starting Januar 1 that requires a minimum 15-minute wait before an Uber-like service can actually pick up a passenger. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick at LeWeb 2013 (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET) Uber fights back by rallying its customer base, said Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a December appearance at the LeWeb conference here. Allocab is fighting the 15-minute wait rule with an appeal, FrenchWeb.fr reported, and it's also launched a Twitter campaign against the VTC rule. France has a strong reputation for protecting its workers -- something that established businesses and startups don't like. Employees and union leaders held executives captive in labor negotiations involving a Goodyear tire plant early this year, and venture capitalists tussled with a French minister at LeWeb over regulatory difficulties.

Posted by : Unknown Monday, January 13, 2014

During a day of protests by taxi drivers in Paris, an Uber car carrying a technology executive was left with slashed tires and broken windows.

January 13, 2014 2:51 AM PST

Five by Five co-founder Kat Borlongan

(Credit: Five by Five)

The idea behind the Uber car service -- use a smartphone app to easily summon a car, inform the driver about your destination, and pay -- got its start in Paris. But resistance in the French capital turned ugly Monday when an attack left an Uber car with slashed tires and a broken window.

"Got attacked in an Uber by cab drivers on strike near Paris airport: smashed windows, flat tires, vandalized vehicle, and bleeding hands," tweeted Kat Borlongan, co-founder of Five by Five, a firm specializing in the idea of open data.

"Attackers tried to get in the car but our brave Uber driver maneuvered us to safety, changed the tire on the freeway, and got us home," she said. "We're fine. Grateful that our Uber driver was cool-headed and that the doors were locked," she added.

French tech blog Rude Baguette reported that Eventbrite Chief Technology Officer Renaud Visage also was in the car.