Uber defeats London black-cab drivers' lawsuits as judge rules claims were filed too late

As of 2:55 p.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

A High Court judge in London on Monday dismissed lawsuits brought against Uber by nearly 13,300 black-cab drivers and on behalf of two former private-hire companies, ruling that the claims had been filed too late. "As a result, the claimants' claims are time-barred," Mr Justice Birt wrote in the judgment, which was handed down at 10 a.m. London time.

The two linked lawsuits sought around £340 million ($453 million), Reuters reported: nearly £200 million for around 13,000 black-cab drivers and around £140 million for a claimant suing on behalf of two now-defunct private-hire companies, Kabbie and Iride.

Bloomberg News reported that the lawsuit on behalf of the black-cab drivers sought £250 million ($333 million).

The claimants alleged that Uber conspired to cause them loss through unlawful means between mid-2012 and March 2018, including "fraudulent misrepresentations and deliberate and dishonest non-disclosure" to Transport for London, the city's licensing authority, according to the judgment. They argued that, but for the alleged conspiracy, Uber would not have obtained a private-hire operator licence in London. Uber denied the allegations "in their entirety," the judgment said.

The judge did not decide whether the allegations were true. The trial dealt only with a preliminary question on limitation, and for that purpose the court assumed the claimants' alleged facts had occurred, "without prejudice to Uber's denial of liability," the judgment said. Both sides agreed that a finding that the claims were time-barred would "necessarily lead to the dismissal of the entire claim," according to the judgment.

The claims were issued in May and June 2024, after the standard six-year limitation period had expired. The claimants argued that the clock should not have started until June 2018, when evidence from Uber's appeal against Transport for London's refusal to renew its operating licence became public. The judge found that they "could have discovered it earlier, and more than 6 years before the first of the claim forms was issued."

Reaction

"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, according to Reuters.

"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, Reuters reported.

The ruling comes ahead of a larger case in London in which Uber is fighting Britain's tax authority in a dispute worth more than £1 billion, Reuters reported.