Uber is facing a multi-million-pound lawsuit on behalf of nearly 11 000 London black cab drivers who claim the company misled Transport for London (TfL) to obtain a licence by providing false information about how its app works, on Thursday, the 2nd of May, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
Litigation management firm RGL Management says the claim is worth at least 250 million pounds (292 million euros) and each taxi driver could receive 25 000 pounds.
“These old claims are completely unfounded,”
an Uber spokesman told the BBC, adding that Uber operates legally in London, is licensed by TfL and serves millions of passengers and drivers across London.
The class action is against Uber’s operations in London between May 2012 and March 2018 and alleges that the company misled TfL and illegally tried to take over business from black cab drivers.
According to Richard Leedham, Partner and Head of Commercial Litigation at Mishcon de Reya, the firm has brought an action in the High Court on behalf of the claimants alleging that
Uber has consistently breached London’s laws on the use of private hire vehicles.
Over the years, Uber has faced various problems in London, including TfL’s refusal to renew its licence in 2017, citing concerns over corporate responsibility and public safety. Following successful appeals, Uber was awarded a two-and-a-half-year licence in 2022, which will expire in September.
The company has also faced protests organised by London’s black cab drivers.
Earlier this year, Uber agreed to pay 271.8 million Australian dollars (166 million euros) to settle a lawsuit filed in Australia alleging that taxi drivers lost income as a result of Uber’s aggressive entry into the country.
In December 2023, Uber won a lawsuit brought by 2 500 French taxi drivers, with the Paris Commercial Court declaring that Uber had not engaged in unfair competitive practices.
Founded in 2009, San Francisco-based Uber operates in around 70 countries and more than 10 000 cities worldwide.
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