Ride-hailing giant Uber has been dealt a blow as it prepares to defend a £340m lawsuit brought by thousands of London black cab drivers. The company's lawyers have been forced to admit, in court documents, that the claimants' solicitors had already begun exploring a potential class action and collecting financial information from drivers months before a key licensing appeal in June 2018.
The collective action involves approximately 13,000 black cab drivers, alongside claims linked to former private hire operators Kabbee and Iride. They are seeking substantial damages, alleging that Uber obtained and operated under its Transport for London (TfL) licence unlawfully from 2012 until March 2018.
An Uber spokesperson maintained the company operates lawfully in London, is fully licensed by TfL, and serves millions of passengers and drivers. However, documents filed ahead of the hearing show that the firm's team will argue that the claimants had ample opportunity to investigate and bring proceedings much earlier, well outside the six-year limitation period stipulated by law.
The High Court has been directed to assume, for the purposes of this preliminary trial, that the underlying allegations of Uber’s operating model breaching London’s private hire licensing regime are true. The sole focus will be on whether the claimants could have, with reasonable diligence, brought their case sooner. If Uber succeeds on this limitation issue, the entire £340m claim will be dismissed without the court ever considering the merits of the drivers’ allegations.