In 2019, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 8,000 taxi drivers and rental car owners in Victoria, Uber was accused of violating the licensing rules for taxis and rental cars.
When Uber first started operating in the country, it was alleged that it was working with unlicensed vehicles and unauthorized drivers.
The Maurice Blackburn law firm defending the taxi drivers announced that the settlement was the 5th largest settlement reached in a class action in the country's history.
Michael Donelly, the lead lawyer for the team defending the cabbies, said that Uber had been "fighting tooth and nail" for five years to avoid paying compensation, but that the Australian public had turned its back on Uber in parallel with the litigation process.
Uber said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the size of the settlement before it was officially signed in court.
"When Uber started 10 years ago, there were no regulations for this service in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Today the situation is different. Uber is now regulated in every state in Australia and governments see us as an important part of transportation diversity."
The US-based Uber company is valued at 157 billion dollars.
