Yahoo Finance UBER SUED: Thousands of Australian taxi drivers join class action
Ridesharing service Uber is facing a class action from thousands of taxi and hire car drivers, who claim Uber did not have the legal right to operate in Australia.
The firm leading the class action, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, says more than 6,000 drivers – including taxi drivers, limousine and private hire drivers across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia – have already joined the action.
The case was filed in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday, with a claim for lost income and loss in licence values.
Maurice Blackburn described it as potentially one of Australia’s largest class actions and stated it wants to "hold Uber accountable for destroying livelihoods".
"Make no mistake, this will be a landmark case regarding the alleged illegal operations of Uber in Australia and the devastating impact that has had on the lives of hard-working and law-abiding citizens here," national head of class actions Andrew Watson said.
"The sheer scale of the case means it is shaping as one of the largest class actions in Australian history.
"It is not acceptable for a business to place itself above the law and operate illegally to the disadvantage of others. We’ve got a strong case, a strong team and substantial support from thousands of drivers, operators and licence owners nationwide."
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Maurice Blackburn senior associate, Elizabeth O’Shea, alleged that Uber’s concept of doing things "differently" just meant operating unlawfully, and that this has been to the detriment of taxi drivers.
“Uber came in and exploited people by operating outside of regulations and it was Uber’s conduct that led to horrible losses being suffered by our group members. For those reasons, we are targeting the multi-billion dollar company Uber and its associated entities to provide redress to those affected."
Speculation of a class action against the rideshare service have abounded since October last year, when Fairfax Media reported Maurice Blackburn was preparing to file a class action on behalf of Victorian taxi drivers.
Cab drivers around the world have taken similar action, with taxi drivers in Spain going on strike to protest the proliferation of Uber drivers in August.
Denmark, Italy, China and certain states in the USA and Canada have gone one step further, banning the service from operating in those regions.
Update: Uber denies being served with a claim
In an updated statement, a spokesperson for Uber said the rideshare company had not been served with a class action claim.
“We understand there are media reports suggesting that Maurice Blackburn has filed a claim that will allege Uber operated illegally in Australia. Uber denies this allegation and, if a claim is served making it, the claim will be vigorously defended.
“Over 3.8 million Australians regularly use Uber as a reliable choice to get from A to B and governments across the country have recognised ridesharing as part of the transport mix. We will continue our commitment to delivering a great experience to Australians in all the cities where we operate.”
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