Anti-Uber protests disrupt major Chilean airport; one dead
Anti-Uber protests disrupt major Chilean airport; one
dead
Reuters Staff SEPTEMBER 4, 2017 / 11:16 AM
People walk through traffic along a highway as taxi
drivers (not pictured) block the way to Santiago's international airport during
a protest against Uber and Cabify technologies in Santiago, Chile, September 4,
2017. REUTERS/Stringer
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Taxi drivers protesting the growth
of mobile ride hailing applications such as Uber and Cabify blocked the main
road to Chile’s principal airport in capital Santiago on Monday, leading to one
death and wreaking havoc on travelers’ plans.
Santiago-based LATAM Airlines, the region’s biggest
carrier, as well as budget carrier Sky suffered delays, local media reported.
Television images showed traffic backed up for miles (kilometers), while many
passengers resorted to walking along the highway.
One 65-year-old Brazilian tourist stuck in traffic died
of a cardiovascular event, Chilean police said without offering any further
details. A medical helicopter evacuated the man, but it was too late, they
added.
“This takeover of the airport by the taxi drivers has
significantly hurt the image of Chile, the image of the airlines, and has hurt
people traveling or arriving in the country,” Claudio Orrego, the governor of
the Santiago Metropolitan Region, told reporters.
He added that the government would bring charges against
those responsible for the protests, and that at least 15 people had already
been arrested.
Legislation is advancing slowly through Chile’s Congress
to regulate Uber and Cabify, which remain in a legal gray zone. While some
authorities have promised to sanction users of the widely used applications,
they have also expressed a desire to bring the services within Chile’s existing
regulatory framework.
Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Sandra Maler
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