Taxi drivers win nearly $179 million in compensation from Uber in Australia

Uber will pay more than 8,000 taxi and hire car drivers in Australia almost 272 million Australian dollars ($179 million) in compensation for losses they suffered after the ride-sharing giant entered the country in 2012, lawyers representing the drivers said Monday.

Uber will pay more than 8,000 taxi and hire car drivers in Australia almost 272 million Australian dollars ($179 million) in compensation for losses they suffered after the ride-sharing giant entered the country in 2012, lawyers representing the drivers said Monday. The settlement is the fifth-largest in Australia’s history, according to Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, the law firm that filed the class action suit in 2019. Uber confirmed in a statement that it had reached an agreement in principle but did not comment on the details of the proposed settlement. “This case succeeded where others have failed,” Maurice Blackburn said on its Facebook page. “We’re proud that thousands of people put their faith in us to deliver this outcome, and to hold Uber to account.” Uber has faced serial litigation around the world since its launch in 2009, including from passengers, governments and its own drivers. It has also made “significant contributions to various state-level taxi compensation schemes” in Australia since 2018, according to the company. The bitter feuds between Uber drivers and conventional taxi operators have subsided in recent years, as the company has steadily gained regulatory approval to operate in countries around the world. Uber now teams up with taxi drivers in many countries. In November, it announced a partnership with London’s iconic black cabs to give cab drivers access to Uber trip referrals. The lawsuit in Australia alleged that Uber had operated illegally in four of the country’s six states — Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia — using vehicles and drivers without the necessary licenses and accreditations.