Uber wins bid to throw out UK mass lawsuit by black cab drivers

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LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Uber won its bid on Monday to throw out two linked lawsuits seeking around £340 million ($453 million) brought by thousands of London black cab drivers and two former private hire companies.

The ride-hailing app was sued in 2024 over allegations about how it obtained a private hire vehicle operating licence in the British capital, with the claimants alleging Uber gave "misleading and inaccurate information" to Transport for London.

The lawsuits at London's High Court sought damages of nearly £200 million for around 13,000 black cab drivers, while a claimant suing on behalf of two now-defunct companies, Kabbie and Iride, was seeking around £140 million.

Uber denied the allegations and also argued the lawsuits were filed after the six-year limitation period for bringing such a claim, meaning they should be thrown out.

Judge Simon Birt said in a written ruling that the claimants could have discovered the alleged deception before 2018, six years before the lawsuits were filed, and dismissed the claims on the limitation grounds without considering the merits.

"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," an Uber spokesperson said.

The lawsuits focused on the information Uber provided to Transport for London when it first became licenced as a private hire operator in 2012. The company has since taken much of the business of traditional black cab drivers.

"We are obviously very disappointed and are considering all options available to the claimant cab drivers with the legal team," said a spokesperson for RGL Management, which managed the lawsuits on behalf of the claimants.

Monday's ruling comes ahead of an even larger case involving Uber in London, with the company fighting the British tax authority in a more than £1 billion tax dispute.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by William James and Joe Bavier)