Online taxi-sharing firm Uber has promised to create 50,000 extra jobs in Europe as part of a new expansion drive.
Travis Kalanick, CEO of the popular digital car sharing service, told a conference in Munich that Uber could create 50,000 jobs as part of a “new partnership” with European cities.
Kalanick said: “Uber is committed to establishing new partnerships with Europe’s cities to ensure innovation, harness powerful economic benefits and promote core city functions.”
He said that city authorities that free up Uber’s service would see the creation of thousands of jobs and higher tax revenues.
“At the end of 2015, if we can make these partnerships happen, we create 50,000 new EU jobs,” Mr Kalanick said.
“Uber wants to partner closely with tax authorities to increase transportation providers’ compliance and overall tax revenue for cities and countries across Europe,” he added.
Uber helps users summon taxi-like services on their smartphones
The San Francisco firm was formed four years ago and now operates in 250 cities worldwide, valued at $40bn (£25.5bn), based on the latest fundraising from investors.
However, critics have accused Uber of flouting competition rules and of not carrying out sufficient safety checks on drivers and their vehicles.
Uber has been hit with court injunctions in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, and has faced protests from taxi firms in major cities, including London.
A woman in India who was allegedly raped by an Uber taxi driver is suing the company in the US courts.
At the conference, Kalanick acknowledged the need for rules and safety checks for drivers, saying it had been “easy to say something flippantly negative about every law” in the past.
Uber is working with governments on new rules to ensure public safety is protected, choice and competition thrive and economic growth and tax revenue rise, the chief executive said.
He said that Uber is developing new technology tools that improve safety and do background checks, and “improve communication with local officials and law enforcement.