Uber announced on Friday it is suspending its controversial low-cost ride-hailing UberPOP service in France in an effort to defuse months of legal tension and clashes with local taxi drivers.

In a statement posted on its French website, the company said the move was meant to protect its drivers and passengers. This comes after anti-Uber protests across the country turned violent in recent weeks, with some conventional cabbies attacking - and even torching - Uber cars.

The riots drew sharp condemnations from France's political leaders. Still, lawmakers appear hell-bent on keeping Uber off their roads, following intense pressure from taxi drivers' unions.

Representatives complain that the San Francisco-based startup is not playing by the rules. Whereas licensed drivers are required to carry insurance and undergo 250 hours of mandatory training, UberPOP drivers don't, allowing them to offer lower rates and undercut the competition.

Legal tussle

Citing passenger safety concerns, French legislators in January moved to ban any service that connects passengers with unlicensed drivers. Such worries have also triggered similar injunctions in several other countries, including Germany and India.

Late last month, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve declared that "the vehicles of UberPOP drivers should be systematically impounded when they are openly breaking the law." And earlier this week, things came to a head when police in Paris arrested Uber France chief Thibaud Semphaud along with another European manager for refusing to suspend operations.

The legality of the ban is still up in the air after Uber filed a lawsuit challenging the law. But after weeks of open aggression, it appears that, at least for now, the company has chosen peace over confrontation.

"In an effort to bring about reconciliation, Uber will suspend UberPop and will rely on the decision of the constitutional court to be delivered on September 30," the US-based company said in a statement about its subsidiary company.

The company has been operating in Paris since 2011, and claims to have 400,000 customers per month in France.

pad/bk (AP, AFP, dpa)