French minister urges UberPOP ban as taxi protest blocks airports

French taxi drivers, who are on strike, block the traffic on the Paris ring road during a national protest against car-sharing service Uber, in Paris, France, June 25, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

PARIS (Reuters) - France's interior minister called for a nationwide legal clampdown on UberPOP on Thursday, siding with taxi drivers who blockaded major transport hubs in angry protests against the U.S. online ridesharing service.

Arguing that the service represented unfair competition, cabbies blocked roads to the French capital's Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports, prompting operator Aeroports de Paris to warn travellers to use local train services.