Proactive Investors - Thousands of London black cab drivers are to launch a £250 million lawsuit against Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER), claiming it misled Transport for London (TfL) to obtain a licence.
Almost 11,000 black cab drivers are involved in the lawsuit, which alleges the ride-hailing firm deliberately misrepresented how the Uber app worked to gain approval in London.
Mishcon de Reya is set to file the case in London’s High Court on Thursday, with litigation firm RGL Management claiming the case is worth £250 million, or £25,000 per driver.
This marks the latest complaint against Uber, with the action focusing on Uber’s operations in London between May 2012 and March 2018.
“Uber seems to believe it is above the law and cabbies across London have suffered loss of earnings because of it,” black cab driver Garry White said.
“It is time they were held to account.”
Uber had faced its licence not being renewed by TfL in 2017 and 2019, with lacking “corporate responsibility” and “safety and security implications” being cited initially.
Though Uber eventually successfully appealed, with a two-and-a-half-year licence being granted until September of this year most recently, the company has also faced lawsuits overseas.
Around £142 million was paid to settle a lawsuit in Australia earlier this year, while Uber won a case against taxi drivers in France last December.
“These old claims are completely unfounded,” an Uber spokesperson responded to the latest lawsuit.
“Uber operates lawfully in London, is fully licensed by TfL, and is proud to serve millions of passengers and drivers across the capital.”