London’s black cab drivers are considering plans to sue Uber for over £1 billion.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association is working with the law firm, Mishcon de Reya, to explore various options to sue the ride-hailing app after last month it won a 15-month licence to continue operating in London.
“We’ve been approached by a number of members to help them explore whether there would be grounds for a potential class action on behalf of all taxi drivers against Uber,” said the general secretary of the LTDA, Steve McNamara.
“We are in the very early stages of obtaining legal advice from leading law firm Mishcon de Reya on whether this is a possibility. We’ll continue to do everything we can to support our members and taxi drivers across London by exploring every avenue to ensure they are treated fairly.”
The LTDA has 11,000 members in London and is expected to argue that all of the 25,000 black cab drivers in London have lost earnings of around £10,000 for the past five years that Uber has operated in the capital.
The app is used by over 3.5 million people in London and there are more than 45,000 self-employed drivers working for the company.
The LTDA has previously taken unsuccessful court action against Uber. The association argued that the company was in effect running off a meter, contrary to the licence.
Uber’s won its licence to keep operating in London last month.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London said: “I believe everyone must play by the same rules, no matter how big or powerful they are. After years of operating poorly in London, Uber has now accepted that TfL’s action in refusing to renew their licence was totally justified. Today our stance has been vindicated by the court.”
“Uber has been put on probation – their 15-month licence has a clear set of conditions that TfL will thoroughly monitor and enforce. “As a result of us standing up for Londoners, Uber has been forced to overhaul the way it operates not just in London but across the world.”