(Reuters) - Brussels police on Monday arrested a taxi driver who confessed to taking part in several incidents of intimidation against drivers using the Uber ride-sharing app, in the latest controversy over the U.S. tech company in Europe.

Public prosecutors in the Belgian capital said the 35-year-old licensed cabbie, identified only as N.C., admitted to being among several colleagues who had ordered rides on the Uber app on Sunday evening and then intimidated drivers who arrived at the rendezvous. Police said four such cases have been reported, some involving the throwing of eggs or flour. An Uber driver's smartphone was stolen in one case.

No one was hurt in the four incidents. But with tensions mounting between licensed taxi firms and users of the services of California-based Uber, Brussels police called a crisis meeting with cabbies' representatives on Tuesday.

As in several other major European cities where Uber has launched its smartphone app, connecting willing drivers with passengers, regulated taxi operators in Brussels have been up in arms at what they see as unregulated, cut-price competition.

Hundreds jammed streets three weeks ago to protest a city move to consider legalising online ride-sharing services, under certain conditions, from next year - shifting from the current municipal insistence that such operations breach its rules.

Constantin Tsatsakis of the Belgian Taxi Federation condemned acts of vandalism committed by a minority, public broadcaster RTBF reported. But he said his colleagues were angry that, despite legal action by the state against Uber, police were failing to check and prosecute drivers using the app.

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Private hire drivers should sit knowledge test say MSPs

NEW licensing laws could see private hire taxi drivers forced to sit a "knowledge test" the same as Hackney drivers.

The Scottish Parliament licensing committee recommended that new laws being considered should include the change that would see Glasgow's 3000 private hire drivers tested on main routes and city landmarks.

The committee recommended: "The Scottish Government should consider a full review of all aspects of taxi and private car licensing and report back to the Committee within this Parliamentary term."

The report stated the principal reason for licensing taxi and private hire cars is to ensure public safety.
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It added: "The same knowledge test should apply to all drivers, both taxi and private hire."

Glasgow City Council is not in favour of the changes which would effectively end the two tier licensing system for drivers.

It said it would lead to customers believing private hire drivers were trained to the same standard as Hackney (black cab) drivers.

Michael McDougall solicitor with Glasgow City Council expressed the authority's opposition to the move in a written response to the committee.

He said: "The Licensing Authority is concerned that the Scottish Government's proposal to require the testing of PHC drivers erodes the difference between PHC and taxi drivers."


He said a key difference was the ability to pick up street hires without knowing the destination in advance.

He added: "The Authority understands that taxi drivers are tested as they are subject to "there and then hires" and therefore do not have an opportunity to research a route.

"However, PHC drivers by the very nature of being pre-booked, have the opportunity to make investigations into how to reach a destination.

Therefore, by imposing the same requirement on PHC drivers, it creates an impression that they are trained to an equivalent standard."

Glasgow Taxis, which operates most of the city's 'black cabs' did not wish to comment on the recommendation.