An Uber driver who got into thousands of pounds of debt and feared losing his home due to delays in Transport for London renewing his licence to pick up passengers is taking on the organisation in the high court in the first challenge of its kind.
Julius Mugabo, ۵۵, has been an Uber driver licensed by TfL since ۲۰۱۶. Under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act ۱۹۹۸, all minicab drivers cannot work lawfully unless TfL has carried out checks on them and issued or renewed their licences. These licences must be renewed every three years.
There are approximately ۱۰۰,۰۰۰ private hire drivers in London working through apps such as Uber and Bolt. According to freedom of information data obtained by the Conservatives, almost ۱۸,۰۰۰ of them have received “goodwill” payments of between £۳۰۰ and £۵۰۰ due to delays in renewing their licences.
“Because of all the pain I have been through, I am bringing this legal challenge to help other drivers,” Mugabo told the Guardian.
Mugabo had not experienced any problems until he made a routine renewal application at the end of last year. TfL repeatedly delayed processing his renewal application, asking him to provide supporting documentation he said he had already provided.
“Even if TfL delay renewing licences, drivers like me still have to eat and pay bills. My licence expired at the end of March ۲۰۲۶. I only received my renewed licence recently after I started the legal action against TfL,” he said.
“Because of their delays everything in my life was a mess. I owed HMRC £۳,۰۰۰ in tax but because I couldn’t pay my tax bill on time the bill has gone up to £۲۰,۰۰۰ because of the interest. We didn’t lose our home but I was under so much stress and pressure. The landlord threatened to evict us because I struggled to pay the rent.”
The high court action against TfL alleges that the transport authority breached its legal duties by failing to process private hire vehicle licence renewals on time.
In a ruling granting a full judicial review hearing, Mr Justice Sweeting said the delay “caused immediate and serious consequences for [Mugabo] and his family”.
He added: “TfL accepts that the processing of the claimant’s application did not meet its usual standards.”
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which represents private hire drivers on apps such as Uber and Bolt, said it had many members affected by the TfL licence processing delays, and that some of drivers had fallen into debt, had lost their cars and faced eviction. It is supporting the high court challenge.
Alex Marshall, the president of the IWGB, said: “As they celebrate this ruling bringing them closer to justice, the minicab drivers who keep London moving are sending TfL a clear message: they will not be taken for a ride.
“The suffering TfL inflicted on its predominantly migrant private hire driver workforce speaks volumes about who this public institution values, and who it takes for granted. TfL could easily have acted at the earliest sign of crisis, as the first drivers lost their incomes through no fault of their own. Instead, it watched at least ۱۷,۰۰۰ others suffer the same fate.
“By the time TfL finally acted, drivers had burned through their savings, lost their houses and fallen into debts they are still working longer hours to repay. Now, thanks to drivers’ tireless fighting and campaigning, TfL will have to answer for its failures in court. We will not stop until TfL has been forced to fix this broken system for good.”
Ahmed Aydeed, of Deighton Pierce Glynn solicitors, who is representing Mugabo, said: “TfL regularly strips drivers of their livelihoods, by failing to provide renewal licences before the expiry of the previous licence. Any driver who continues to work while waiting for their renewal licence is liable for criminal prosecution.
“No one should be stripped of their ability to feed their families and pay their bills, especially during this cost of living crisis. Any public authority that does this to working-class people is not fit for purpose,” he said.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We are aware of the judicial review claim, which has been brought by one driver regarding the processing of his licence. We are awaiting the date of the hearing.”
