Uber's European HQ Raided by Dutch Prosecutors in UberPOP Probe

Prosecutors raided Uber's European headquarters in Amsterdam in a criminal investigation into whether the company is offering illegal taxi services.

A file photo showing the French version of the UberPOP service in Paris.THOMAS OLIVA / AFP - Getty Images
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LONDON - Prosecutors on Tuesday raided Uber's European headquarters in Amsterdam in a criminal investigation into whether the car-hailing company is offering illegal taxi services in the Netherlands.

A file photo showing the French version of the UberPOP service in Paris.THOMAS OLIVA / AFP - Getty Images

The country’s public prosecutor said in a statement that the search was related to the San Francisco-based company’s UberPOP ride-hailing service, which is cheaper than ordinary cab bookings.

It said the app allows users to book rides with “individuals who present themselves as a taxi driver, without a license, in their own car," which it says is illegal.

The service operates in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, it said.

Agents from the country's Environment and Transport Inspectorate seized administrative records from the company, it said.

No further information was immediately available.