In a judgment given on 16 October, Ouseley J has declared that drivers operating Uber vehicles are not using taximeters The origin of the case is well explained in this article by Neil Brown. As he explains, the Uber system works on the basis of apps, with a software backend. Customers order their ride via Uber’s customer app and drivers receive their instructions, navigation and fare determination via Uber’s Driver app. The use of the various devices for the calculation of distance and the contact between those devices and Uber does not, according to Mr Justice Ouseley, amount to the use of a taximeter.
The full judgment in Transport for London v Uber London Ltd [2015] EWHC 2918 (Admin) is available on bailii here.
