- Written by Peter Hoskins
- business reporter
image source, Getty Images
Uber has agreed to pay A$271.8 million ($178.3 million, £140 million) to settle the Australian case, the law firm for taxi operators and drivers said.
Lawyer Maurice Blackburn filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers.
The lawsuit alleges that the ride-hailing giant's “aggressive” expansion into the country has resulted in lost revenue.
“Uber fought tooth and nail on every count,” the law firm said.
“Since 2018, Uber has made significant contributions to various state-level taxi compensation programs, and with today's settlement, we put these legacy issues firmly behind us,” Uber said in a statement. Ta.
The company did not disclose the size of the proposed settlement.
“Until an agreement is reached and the details of the settlement are disclosed to the court, it would be inappropriate to comment on the details.”
The class action lawsuit was filed against Uber in Australia's Victoria Supreme Court in 2019.
Michael Donnelly, lead lawyer at Maurice Blackburn, said: “This case was a success where many other cases have failed.'' However, all of them failed.”
“What the members of our group wanted was results, not another excuse, and today we delivered that to them,” he added.
Before payment can be made, the court must approve the proposed settlement as being in the best interests of the group members.
San Francisco-based Uber was founded in 2009 and operates in more than 10,000 cities in nearly 70 countries around the world.
For years, cities around the world have faced protests by taxi drivers.
In December 2023, the company won a lawsuit brought against it by 2,500 French taxi drivers.
The Paris Commercial Court ruled that Uber did not engage in unfair competition.
The taxi drivers were seeking 455 million euros ($495.4 million, £389 million).
