Ride-hailing app Uber halts its licensed service in Greece

The ride-hailing app Uber announced Thursday that it would be suspending its licensed services in Greece from next Tuesday, reacting to new laws passed last month that restrict its operations.

The move relates to the service UberX, which uses professional licensed drivers, not to UberTaxi, which uses local taxi drivers and which Uber said it would seek to continue with.

"We have to assess if and how we can operate within this new framework and so will be suspending UberX in Athens from next Tuesday until we can find an appropriate solution," the company said in a statement Thursday.

"We hope to work with all local stakeholders to find a way to enable Greeks to enjoy the benefits of modern technologies like Uber," the statement added.

More than 450,000 locals and tourists in Greece have used the Uber app since the company launched in the country in 2015, it...