✦
Uber has won its bid to throw out claims worth about £340m brought by thousands of London black cab drivers and two former private hire firms. The ruling brings to an end a long-running legal dispute over the way Uber operated in the capital, and it will come as a relief to the company and a disappointment to the drivers who brought the case.
The claim was brought by drivers who argued that Uber had broken the rules that govern private hire in London, and that they had lost earnings as a result. They said the company had been allowed to operate in a way that gave it an unfair advantage over licensed taxi drivers, who must pass strict tests and follow rules on fares and on where they can pick up passengers. The case had been followed closely by the taxi trade, which has long argued that the rules should apply equally to everyone.
Uber argued that the claims had been brought too late and should be thrown out without a full trial, and the court agreed. The ruling means the drivers will not get the compensation they were seeking, and it removes a significant legal threat from the company's business in London. Uber said it welcomed the decision and that it would continue to work with drivers and with the regulator.
For London's black cab drivers, the ruling is a setback in a dispute that has run for years. The arrival of app-based private hire changed the market for taxi work in the capital, with many passengers switching to services they could book on their phones. Cab drivers say the change cost them income and made their work harder, while Uber says it gave passengers more choice and gave drivers a flexible way to earn.
The case is one of several legal disputes that have shaped the way private hire works in London. Regulators have tightened the rules for app-based services in recent years, and Transport for London has set conditions on the licences it grants. The ruling does not change those rules, but it does draw a line under one of the biggest claims ever brought against Uber in the UK.
Source: Classic FM
