Uber dodges £340M cabbie lawsuit after drivers miss legal deadline

Uber has escaped a £340 million lawsuit from thousands of London black cab drivers after a High Court judge determined they had submitted their claims too late. The ruling ends two claims involving approximately 13,000 cabbies and two firms, Kabbee and Iride, who accused Uber of deceiving Transport for London (TfL) to secure its operating license.

The drivers were seeking nearly £200 million in compensation for lost earnings, while Kabbee and Iride demanded £140 million. However, the court never reached a decision on whether Uber had acted improperly. The lawsuit was filed in May and June 2024, but Mr. Justice Simon Birt declared it untimely due to the six-year statute of limitations.

The cabbies argued they lacked sufficient evidence until June 2018 to allege fraud, but the judge dismissed their claim. According to the judgment, three cabbies had already filed separate lawsuits against Uber in September 2017, and litigation funder Harbour approached law firm Mishcon de Reya about a larger lawsuit in December 2018.

The dispute began when Uber arrived in London in 2012, and the claimants alleged that the company misled TfL about its booking system, enabling it to operate unlawfully. In a previous licensing appeal in 2018, Uber admitted to providing false information to TfL and the High Court about how bookings were accepted through its app.

The judge rejected the cabbies' claims, stating that enough information had been available earlier to bring a lawsuit.