Cabbies seek up to $1b from Uber

A Melbourne taxi driver will be at the centre of one of Australia’s biggest class actions when more than 6000 people take on Uber in a lawsuit chasing up to $1 billion.

A Melbourne taxi driver will be at the centre of one of Australia’s biggest class ­actions when a mammoth lawsuit against Uber is lodged today.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers have signed up more than 6000 cab drivers and hire-car operators across the nation to press for damages against the ridesharing giant.

The case, filed in the Victorian Supreme Court, will seek hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for the period when Uber was operating illegally in Australia.

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It has been speculated the payout could reach as high as $1 billion, and more drivers will be able to join the claim as it progresses.

Nick Andrianakis, a taxi driver and licence owner from Brunswick, is the chief plaintiff in the class action but said thousands of other Australians were part of the fight.

“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,” he said.

“I can clearly remember the day it all became too much — I just stopped driving that day and had to go home to be with my wife.

Taxi owner Nick Andrianakis is a central figure in the class action against Uber.

“It’s a shocking thing to think of a life’s work being stripped away from you, but this is what’s happened to thousands of people ­nationwide.”

Taxi drivers and licence owners from Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia are registered for the class action.

They will not be charged an out-of-pocket expense, with the costs of the case underwritten by a third-party litigation funder.

Maurice Blackburn’s national head of class actions, Andrew Watson, said the firm had spent about 18 months organising the lawsuit.

“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 hardworking and law-abiding citizens here,” he said.

“The sheer scale of the case means it is shaping as one of the largest class actions in Australian history. We’ve got substantial support from thousands of drivers, operators and licence owners nationwide.”

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