Five VTC drivers file criminal complaint for human trafficking against Uber in Paris

Paris – 02.07.2026: Five drivers of chauffeur-driven vehicles (VTC) have, through their lawyers, filed a criminal complaint with the Parquet de Paris against Uber. The allegation is human trafficking. According to the complainants, parts of the platform’s business model rely on recruitment and control mechanisms that can put drivers in an economic straitjacket and facilitate exploitation.

The complaint was filed on 01.07.2026. According to the drivers’ legal representatives, the aim is to have investigations clarify whether certain practices — including algorithmic pricing and ranking systems, commission models, contracts with de facto binding effects, and pressure to transfer or rent platform access accounts — together meet the statutory elements of the offense of human trafficking. Central to the allegation is that the economic vulnerability of drivers, often with a migration background or without stable alternative income, is being systematically exploited.

Uber France initially responded cautiously. In earlier similar cases the company has rejected accusations of criminalizing the platform model and pointed to improvements for drivers, such as higher minimum earnings per ride, transparency notices on price formation, or expanded support offerings. Whether and to what extent such measures can neutralize the allegations now being made will, if necessary, have to be examined by investigating authorities and later by courts.

The Parquet de Paris will next decide whether to open formal investigations. Possible steps include preliminary inquiries, witness interviews and the request for internal documents. Legal experts point out that categorizing platform practices as human trafficking is uncharted territory: the classic offense targets recruiting, transporting, harboring or exploiting people under coercive conditions. Whether algorithmic control, account suspensions or sanctioning mechanisms produce a comparable situation of pressure has so far only been measured to a limited extent in legal terms.

The move by the five drivers is part of ongoing disputes over working conditions in the platform economy. In France, authorities such as the Urssaf regularly examine issues of contributions and employment status, and courts have repeatedly dealt with the distinction between self-employment and bogus self-employment. A possible criminal-law assessment would be of additional significance alongside administrative and labor law proceedings: it could influence future compliance requirements, contract design with drivers and platforms’ risk assessments in France.

Regardless of the outcome of the proceedings, the complaint is likely to reinvigorate the debate over fair pay, access to social protection and algorithmic transparency. Industry observers expect other providers and fleet partners to watch the Paris development closely, as a legal tightening could have immediate operational consequences — from adjustments to commission rates to stricter rules for the allocation and transfer of driver accounts.