Uber agrees to pay $178 million to settle an Australian lawsuit for losses claimed by over 8,000 taxi and rental car drivers.
IN SHORT
Uber to pay $178m in Australian taxi class action settlement
- Uber has agreed to pay A$271.8m ($178.3m; £140m) to settle a lawsuit in Australia.
- The lawsuit was filed on behalf of over 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers.
- The lawsuit alleges they lost income when Uber aggressively moved into the country.
- Uber has made significant contributions to various state-level taxi compensation schemes since 2018, and the proposed settlement aims to put these legacy issues firmly in the past.
- The settlement is yet to be disclosed until the agreement is finalized and disclosed to the court.
- Uber, founded in 2009, operates in around 70 countries and more than 10,000 cities globally.
- In December 2023, Uber won a lawsuit against 2,500 taxi drivers in France, claiming it had not committed acts of unfair competition.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers has filed a class action against Uber, claiming they lost income when the ride-hailing company aggressively moved into Australia.
The case alleged they lost income when the ride-hailing giant “aggressively” moved into the country. The lawyers claim that Uber fought hard throughout the process and that this will be one of the top five class action settlements in Australian legal history.
The taxi drivers had been seeking €455m ($495.4m; £389m). In December 2023, Uber won a lawsuit against it by 2,500 taxi drivers in France, which ruled that Uber had not committed acts of unfair competition.
Uber has made significant contributions to various state-level taxi compensation schemes since 2018, and with the proposed settlement, it puts these legacy issues firmly in their past.
The class action was filed in the Supreme Court of Australia’s Victoria State in 2019. The court still needs to approve the proposed settlement as being in the best interests of group members before any payout can be made.
Uber, founded in 2009, operates in around 70 countries and more than 10,000 cities globally. The company aims to continue helping the millions of Australians who use the service get from A to B in a safe, affordable, and reliable manner.