London

A group of more than 10,000 black cab drivers is suing Uber after accusing it of breaching taxi-booking rules in London, in a move which could cost the ride-hailing giant more than $313 million. A group action claim has been filed in the High Court over Uber’s operations in the capital between May 2012 and March 2018.

The cab drivers claim that Uber misled Transport for London (TfL) over how it operated its ride-booking system and therefore breached private hire licensing rules. They allege that the company allowed its drivers to accept bookings directly from customers, rather than going through a central system like minicab services.

The legal claim says that this booking system was unlawful because it did not comply with private hire rules, and that Uber deliberately misled TfL about how the system worked in order to get its licence. The cab drivers say that during this time they suffered losses as a result of having fewer customers or having to work longer hours to compete with the popular app.

RGL Management has filed the group action, known as BULiT21, on behalf of the London cabbies, who are being instructed by solicitors at law firm Mishcon de Reya. It is anticipating that the total claim value could be more than £250 million, with each cab driver’s claim worth up to £25,000. A spokesman for Uber said that these old claims are completely unfounded.