Tel Aviv court bans Uber’s ride-sharing operation in Israel

JERUSALEM – An Israeli court has ordered Uber to stop its ride-sharing operations in Israel less than a month after launching the service in Tel Aviv.

A taxi driver union and rival transit application Gett petitioned the Tel Aviv District Court earlier this month to serve Uber with an injunction, claiming it violated an Israeli law forbidding drivers without taxi licenses from levying fares on passengers.

Judge Eitan Orenstein ordered the ban on Uber’s ride-share programs in Israel — uberDAY and uberNIGHT — to go into effect Wednesday, and raised concerns about its insurance for passengers. Uber may still operate its taxi-hailing service.

Uber launched its pilot ride-sharing program in Israel last year, but has faced opposition from the Transportation Ministry, which filed suit against the company in May for violating regulations.