Uber dealt blow by EU court ruling that it is transport service

Ride-hailing app Uber provides a transport service and can be regulated like traditional taxis, the European Union's top court said on Wednesday in a landmark ruling that will determine the rules Uber and peers have to respect in Europe.

"The service provided by Uber connecting individuals with non-professional drivers is covered by services in the field of transport," the European Court of Justice said.

"Member states can therefore regulate the conditions for providing that service," it said.

The case follows a complaint from a professional taxi drivers' association in Barcelona that Uber's activities in Spain amounted to misleading practices and unfair competition from Uber's use of non-professional drivers - a service Uber calls UberPOP.

(Reporting by Julia Fioretti)