Uber wins bid to throw out £340m black cab claims
Claims that Uber misled TfL over its licence were thrown out because they were brought too late.
Uber has succeeded in its attempt to have claims worth about £340m dismissed, after thousands of London black cab drivers and two former private hire firms brought the case.
The claimants said the ride-hailing company had given Transport for London (TfL) misleading information when it first obtained a licence to operate in the capital in 2012.
However, a High Court judge decided the cases had been filed too late and threw them out without examining whether the allegations were accurate.
Uber, which denied the claims, said it was pleased the court had dismissed them at the earliest possible stage.
Reuters reported that around 13,000 drivers were seeking nearly £200m in damages, while a separate claim on behalf of Kabbie and Iride, two private hire firms that have since shut down, was seeking about £140m.
The lawsuits were lodged in 2024, and Uber said they were outside the six-year time limit for bringing such claims.
In a written judgment, Mr Justice Birt said the claimants could have uncovered the alleged deception before 2018.
RGL Management, which handled the cases for the claimants, said it was very disappointed and was considering its options with the legal team.
Since receiving its licence, Uber has taken much of the business once dominated by black cabs.
The company now faces another case next week, when it challenges HM Revenue and Customs in a tax dispute worth more than £1bn.