Uber Belgium includes traditional taxis in its app for Brussels users

People in the Belgian capital Brussels can now book traditional taxis through the Uber app. The move follows the Brussels Parliament’s approval of the controversial Taxi Plan in June.

Uber is launching Uber Taxi, a new feature which integrates the taxis into Uber, with all taxis now being available to book through the Uber app. The move is similar to the Local Cab app in the UK, and follows a similar taxi initiative in Barcelona, Spain, which has been running for several years. The company aims to make taxis available on its app everywhere by 2025.

Brussels’ Taxi Plan was designed to give equal regulations for both Uber drivers and traditional taxi drivers, minimum rates for rides and the enforcement of quotas. Following the approval of the plan, Uber has decided to open its app to all the local taxi drivers.

“With the new Uber Taxi feature, more drivers will have access to the flexible earning opportunities that the Uber app offers,” said Laurent Slits, head of Uber Belgium.

“Uber’s matching technology allows drivers to spend less time driving around looking for passengers or waiting at taxi ranks, allowing them to spend more time with a passenger in their car. It also allows them to offer their services to a new group of customers, both local and international, that they may not be able to serve before,” he added.

Uber has had a controversial time in Brussels since the app first launched there in 2014. The company was even temporarily banned from operating in Brussels at the end of last year.