Transport for London v Uber London Ltd

Transport for London v Uber London Ltd

Uber PHVs are not equipped with a taximeter as defined by Section 11 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 because the smartphone in the vehicle does not calculate fares; the calculation is performed remotely by a server, and the vehicle is not equipped with the device for fare calculation.

Parties
Claimant: Transport for London; First Defendant: Uber London Limited; Second Defendant: Licensed Taxi Drivers Association; Third Defendant: Licensed Private Hire Car Association
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
16 October 2015
Procedural Posture
Civil / Judgment
Outcome
Declaration granted
Legal Topics
Statutory Interpretation, Private Hire Vehicle Regulation, Taxi Meter Definition, Consumer Protection
Administrative Law Criminal Law Regulatory Law Statutory Interpretation Private Hire Vehicle Regulation Taxi Meter Definition Consumer Protection

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Parties

Transport for London

Claimant

Uber London Limited

First Defendant

Licensed Taxi Drivers Association

Second Defendant

Licensed Private Hire Car Association

Third Defendant

Procedural Posture

Civil / Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether Uber PHVs are equipped with a taximeter as defined by Section 11 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998
  2. 2 Statutory construction of 'taximeter' and 'equipped' under the Act

Ratio Decidendi

Uber PHVs are not equipped with a taximeter as defined by Section 11 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 because the smartphone in the vehicle does not calculate fares; the calculation is performed remotely by a server, and the vehicle is not equipped with the device for fare calculation.

Court Disposition

Declaration granted

Orders

  • A taximeter, for the purposes of Section 11 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, does not include a device that receives GPS signals in the course of a journey, and forwards GPS data to a server located outside of the vehicle, which server calculates a fare that is partially or wholly determined by...
  • No order as to costs.