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Ride share giant Uber will pay nearly $272 million to Australian taxi operators – the fifth-largest class action settlement in Australian legal history – after it settled following a five-year legal battle.
The class action, brought by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers in 2019, was filed on behalf of more than 8000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers who said they lost income when Uber entered the Australian market.
The class action, brought by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers in 2019, was filed on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers who said they lost income and when Uber entered the Australian market.Credit: Ryan Stuart
“Uber fought tooth and nail at every point along the way, every day, for the five years this has been on foot, trying at every turn to deny our group members any form of remedy or compensation for their losses,” Maurice Blackburn principal Michael Donelly said.
“But on the courtroom steps and after years of refusing to do the right thing by those we say they harmed, Uber has blinked, and thousands of everyday Australians joined together to stare down a global giant.
“This will be one of the top five class action settlements in Australian legal history – putting beyond any doubt that Uber has been held to account for its actions.”
Uber was contacted for comment.
The US-based company is currently worth about $US157 billion ($240 billion). Late last year Uber listed taxis on its app in Melbourne, a partnership that in the past would have been unthinkable.
When Uber launched in Australia in 2014, taxi drivers went on strike and took to the streets to protest.
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