Uber agrees $178m payout to Australian taxi drivers

Uber has reached an agreement to pay A$271.8 million ($178m; £140 million) to resolve a lawsuit in Australia, according to a law firm for taxi operators and drivers.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers initiated the class action on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers, alleging lost income due to the “aggressive” arrival of Uber into the country.

“Uber fought tooth and nail at every point along the way,” the law firm said.

“Since 2018, Uber has made significant contributions into various state-level taxi compensation schemes, and with today’s proposed settlement, we put these legacy issues firmly in our past,” Uber said in a statement.

The company did not reveal the specific amount of the proposed settlement.

“It would be inappropriate to comment on specifics until the agreement is finalised and the settlement is disclosed to the court,” it said.

The class action was filed against Uber in 2019 in the Supreme Court of Australia’s Victoria state.

“This case succeeded where so many others have failed. In Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, cases were brought against governments and all of them failed,” Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Michael Donelly said.

“What our group members asked for was not another set of excuses – but an outcome – and today we have delivered it for them,” he added.