Протест срещу спирането на ЮБЕР пред Върховния Административен Съд #SofiaNeedsUber'

A large crowd of protesters gathered in front of the Supreme Administrative Court in Sofia, Wednesday, demanding that the recently issued ban on car-sharing service Uber be lifted. The demonstrators distributed cans of sprat, which is an allegory to so-called ‘sprat’ drivers – taxi drivers who defraud their clients by claiming to work for one of the expensive large taxi companies in the city. The campaign was dubbed “#SofiaNeedsUber” and was supported by Georgi Kadiev, who is due to run for mayor in autumn, among others. Uber suspended its operations in Bulgaria following a ruling by the SAC on September 28, supporting a decision by the Competition Protection Commission to issue large-scale fees against the company for what the commission described as unfair trade practices. Uber was launched in Bulgaria in December 2014 and has attracted more than 40,000 members in the country since.