- Around 13,000 London black cab drivers were seeking nearly £200m in damages from Uber.
- The High Court ruled the claims, filed in 2024, fell outside the six-year legal limit.
- Uber faces a separate tax dispute with HM Revenue and Customs worth more than £1bn.
Uber has won a £340m legal fight with London black cab drivers and two former private hire firms after the High Court ruled the claims had been brought too late.
The claimants alleged that the ride-hailing company gave Transport for London (TfL) misleading information when it first obtained a licence to operate in the capital in 2012. Uber denied the allegations.
The judge dismissed the cases on Monday without considering whether the alleged deception had taken place. The ruling removes a potential £340m liability for Uber, which has faced years of legal challenges from London's traditional taxi trade.
Around 13,000 drivers were seeking nearly £200m in damages, while two former private hire firms, Kabbee and Iride, brought a separate claim worth about £140m. Both firms have since closed.
Why did the High Court dismiss the claims?
The lawsuits were filed in 2024, but Uber argued they fell outside the six-year time limit for bringing such claims.
In a written ruling, Mr Justice Birt said the claimants could have discovered the alleged deception before 2018. The court therefore dismissed the cases on limitation grounds, rather than deciding whether Uber had provided misleading information to TfL.
Uber's lawyers had argued that the claimants knew enough about the company's operations to investigate years before proceedings began.
They pointed to TfL's 2017 decision to refuse to renew Uber's London licence, which raised concerns about the company's operations and compliance with licensing requirements.
They also cited evidence that lawyers representing black cab drivers had begun exploring a potential group claim in late 2017, with thousands of drivers contacted before Uber's licensing appeal in June 2018.
RGL Management, which ran the cases for the claimants, said it was very disappointed and was considering its options with the legal team.
Uber said it was pleased the court had dismissed the claims at the earliest opportunity.
The company said: “Uber is proud to work with thousands of Private Hire and black cab drivers to serve millions of passengers across London.”
It added: “We are pleased that the court has dismissed all of these claims entirely at the earliest opportunity and the ruling today has put these legacy matters firmly in the past.”
What comes next for Uber?
The ruling comes as Uber faces a separate legal challenge from HM Revenue and Customs in a tax dispute worth more than £1bn.
The company is due to challenge HMRC next week. The case is separate from the London cab drivers' claims and concerns Uber's tax liabilities.
Uber's victory also closes one chapter in its long-running dispute with London's traditional taxi trade, which has accused the ride-hailing company of taking business from black cab drivers since entering the capital.
The High Court decision does not settle the wider debate over Uber's licensing history. It establishes that the claims brought in 2024 were too late to proceed, leaving the allegations of misleading TfL untested in court.
