Failed Australian rideshare app accuses Uber of illegally operating service to gain unfair advantage

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A failed Australian taxi-industry disruptor has told a court that Uber began illegally operating its ridesharing service in Australia a decade ago to gain an unfair advantage over competitors. Taxi Apps is an Australian startup that developed taxi-hailing app GoCatch. Taxi Apps filed the suit in the Victoria state Supreme Court in which it alleges Uber knowingly launched UberX illegally in Australia in 2014. The San Francisco-based rideshare giant is also accused of serious misconduct in a trial that began on Tuesday. The trial comes two weeks after Uber agreed to pay 272 million Australian dollars ($178 million) to settle a class action brought by 8,000 Australian taxi and hire car drivers.