london paris taxi drivers sowed traffic chaos in europe 's top cities on wednesday by mounting one
while similar demonstrations this year have led to smashed windshields and traffic chaos in paris , a united front in europe highlights the challenges for uber ’s expansion .
traffic snarled in cities from london to madrid and berlin to paris as strikes and gatherings by more than 30,000 taxi and limo drivers blocked tourist centers and shopping districts .
but the scale of the planned protests across europe also underscores the extent to which the technology has upended one of the ... uber technologies inc. , the car - sharing service that ’s rankling cabbies across the u.s. , is fighting its biggest protest from european drivers who say the smartphone application threatens their livelihoods .
” photographer : simon dawson bloomberg london taxi drivers slowed traffic on major arteries into the city centre during the morning commute .
london — taxi drivers planned to turn a handful of european city centers into giant parking lots wednesday , protesting the mobile car - hailing services of uber technologies inc. and others .
drivers of hundreds of london 's black taxis snarled traffic in the streets around trafalgar square , hooting their horns as they passed downing street , the home of prime minister david cameron , and the houses of parliament .
in berlin hundreds choked the main road to the city 's historic centre while commuters juggled buses and trains , or simply walked , to get to work in madrid and barcelona .
a taxi driver listens to speeches by his colleagues , during a europe - wide protest of licensed taxi drivers denouncing taxi hailing apps that are feared to flush unregulated private drivers into the market , in front of the olympic stadium in berlin , june 11 , 2014 .