A class action lawsuit has been filed against Uber on Friday on behalf of thousands of Australian taxi and car-hire drivers, alleging that the global rideshare giant allowed its drivers to operate without proper accreditation.
The long-anticipated lawsuit was officially filed to the supreme court in the State of Victoria by leading Australian law firm Maurice Blackburn who said the action has more than 6,000 participants from across Australia.
"Make no mistake, this will be a landmark case regarding the alleged illegal operations of Uber in Australia and the devastating impact that has had on the lives of hard-working and law-abiding citizens here," Maurice Blackburn's national head of class actions Andrew Watson said.
"The sheer scale of the case means it is shaping as one of the largest class actions in Australian history."
The basis of the class action is that Uber failed to enforce its drivers had proper accreditation and therefore gained an unfair advantage over companies and drivers that did adhere to the law.
One of the plaintiffs, taxi driver, operator and license owner, Nick Andrianakis said that his multi-generational vocation was destroyed by Uber's actions.
"My father owned and drove cabs, so it's been an industry and job that's in my blood and that I've loved my whole life, then suddenly that was all taken away because of the impact of Uber's illegal activities," Andrianakis said.
"The way this all happened was not right, so now I am standing up along with thousands of other Australians that have been devastated by Uber's alleged illegal operations to hold Uber to account."
Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn Elizabeth O'Shea said that the costs of the case will be underwritten by a third party litigation funder, allowing participants to pursue justice without liability.
"Uber sells the idea that it does things differently," she said, "but in reality and as we allege, this has meant operating unlawfully." Enditem
