REGULATION: Uber dealt blow after EU court classifies it as transport service.

In the latest of a series of legal battles, Uber had argued it was simply a digital app that acted as an intermediary between drivers and customers looking for a ride and so should fall under lighter EU rules for online services.

“The service provided by Uber connecting individuals with non-professional drivers is covered by services in the field of transport,” the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said.

“Member states can, therefore, regulate the conditions for providing that service,” it said.

Uber’s genius in its early days was its ability to skirt the regulatory state, but that advantage was bound to fade as the company grew larger. And Uber’s toxic corporate culture virtually guaranteed that when it did come under the regulatory state’s microscope, it wouldn’t have any friends helping defend it.