The Americas

Taxi drivers protest against Uber in Brazil's capital

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Taxi drivers protest against the online transportation service Uber, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. More than one thousand taxi drivers, many in their vehicles, staged a protest in front of Congress demanding that it prohibits the U.S. based company from operating in Latin America's largest nation. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) (The Associated Press)

Taxi drivers protest against the online transportation service Uber, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. More than one thousand taxi drivers, many in their vehicles, staged a protest in front of Congress demanding that it prohibits the U.S. based company from operating in Latin America's largest nation. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) (The Associated Press)

Taxi drivers shout slogans during protest against the online transportation service Uber, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. More than 1 thousand taxi drivers, many in their vehicles, staged a protest in front of Congress demanding that it prohibits the U.S. based company from operating in Latin America's largest nation. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) (The Associated Press)

Taxi drivers from around Brazil staged a protest in the capital Tuesday against the presence of Uber, demanding that it be prohibited.

More than 1,000 drivers, many in their vehicles, showed up in front of Congress in a particularly colorful protest, with many taxis painted different colors for various Brazilian cities.

The drivers called on Congress to ban the U.S.-based company from operating in Latin America's largest nation. Many taxi drivers complain that Uber has led to big drops in their incomes as customers use the Uber app to find cheaper rides from private drivers.

Uber is currently in a handful of Brazil's largest cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. The company has said it views Brazil and other parts of Latin America as growth areas.