Bulgaria's competition watchdog has ruled that Uber should pay BGN 200 000 in fines on four counts, the agency's spokesperson has announced.

The reasons cited are breaching competition rules, refusal to pay the license fees required by a company that offers transport services to passengers, and failure to cooperate with Bulgarian authorities by providing information they requested.

Mario Gavrilov, who represents the Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC), told public broadcaster BNT on Monday that the companies fined by his institution are Uber BV and Rasier Operations, both registered in the Netherlands and both offering Uber's services.

In his words, transportation offered by both entities are identical to those of taxi drivers, but ihe case of Uber BV and Raiser Operations no license fee has been paid, and no account whatsoever on revenues has been presented to Bulgarian authorities.

This, Gavrilov added, contributes to a non-competitive environment on the market.

Since it set foot in Bulgaria last year, Uber has sparked much outrage from taxi drivers and, subsequently, from government officials. Both have voiced doubt that activities of the transportation company comply with the law.

In June, a legal amendment was passed on a first reading which makes it obligatory for drivers who transport passengers for money to have a taxi license.

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