Uber France Execs Arrested for Running 'Illegal' Taxi Service

This comes hot on last week's great cabbie uprising, when taxi drivers overturned Uber cars, attacked drivers and passengers, and blocked roads with burning tires. The problem remains the low-cost service UberPop, which has a lower standard for employing drivers and has been ruled against by courts there yet still operates. Taxi drivers say the massive number of super-cheap competitors, who are unregulated, don't have to pay for medallions, and don't pay the same taxes, is making life impossible for them.

French authorities began an investigation into Uber last November – this is aside from the court cases already in play – but not much has come of it yet. Uber said police "invited" the CEO and GM to answer some questions, then arrested the pair when the interview finished. According to TechCrunch, there are two charges against the executives: one is the oft-laid allegation that Uber is running an illegal taxi service, the other is that the company is hiding documents. As part of the investigation that began last November, police raided Uber offices in March of this year, and the police say that digital files are missing.

The country's interior minister has instructed police to stop and fine UberPop drivers, and appealed for calm from taxi drivers while the laws of the land play out.