BlaBlaCar faces a ban by court in Kuban

In Kuban, the Prosecutor's Office has convinced the court to ban information about joint trips with the help of the BlaBlaCar service. Prosecutors believe drivers use the BlaBlaCar service to earn money. The company has appealed against the court's decision.

The "Kommersant" has reported that if the court's decision comes into force, the "Roskomnadzor" (Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media) will block access to the resource on the territory of the Russian Federation.

According to the "Kommersant", the "Regional Motor Transport Union" (RMTU) complained to the Prosecutor's Office against the BlaBlaCar service. After that, the Timashyovsk District Prosecutor's Office has appealed to the court and claimed the BlaBlaCar service provides information services to people engaged in commercial transportation services without permission.

The BlaBlaCar service is actively used by illegal carriers, including bus owners. As a result, the volume of long-distance transportation in the local market fell by 15-20%, explained Alexei Dynko, the chief for the RMTU's legal support centre.

Meanwhile, an agent of the "Komuto Rus" argues that the terms of the client agreement with a car owner do not allow him to use the BlaBlaCar service for commercial purposes.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.