The law firm behind the class-action lawsuit says the result is one of the most successful legal actions ever taken against the ride-sharing giant.
Uber has agreed to pay $178 million to settle a lawsuit with taxi and for-hire drivers in Australia who say they have lost income because of the ride-hailing app, a law firm announced.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, which filed the class action on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi and for-hire vehicle owners and drivers in 2019, said the result was one of the most successful legal actions ever taken against the ride-sharing giant.
“Uber fought tooth and nail every step of the way, every day, for the five years we have been in business, attempting at every turn to deny our group members any form of reparation or compensation for their losses,” Maurice said. Blackburn Lawyers Principal. Michael Donelly said in a statement Monday.
“But on the courtroom steps and after years of refusal to do the right thing by those we claim to have wronged, Uber has blinked and thousands of ordinary Australians have come together to stare down a global giant “.
“This will be one of the five largest class action settlements in Australian legal history, leaving it beyond doubt that Uber has been held to account for its actions,” Donelly added.
Uber said it had made “significant” contributions to several state-level taxi compensation schemes since 2018 and that the deal left “these legacy issues firmly in our past.”
“When Uber started over a decade ago, ride-sharing regulations did not exist anywhere in the world, let alone Australia. Today is different, and Uber is now regulated in all Australian states and territories, and governments recognize us as an important part of the country's transport mix,” the company said in a statement.
“The rise of ride-sharing has grown the point-to-point transport industry in Australia, bringing greater choice and better experiences for consumers, as well as new income opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Australian workers.”
Uber will continue to focus on helping the millions of Australians who use the service “get from A to B safely, affordably and reliably”, the company added.
