NEW ORLEANS – Two dozen New Orleans cab drivers are suing 10 UberX drivers for allegedly picking up fares without state chauffeur’s licenses or commercial driver’s licenses.
According to The New Orleans Advocate’s Jeff Adelson, the lawsuit, filed in Civil District Court, could lay the groundwork for a wider-reaching ruling aimed at undercutting the city ordinance allowing the ride-hailing service to operate in New Orleans.
Adelson reports cab drivers fought unsuccessfully last year to block Uber from entering the market with its UberX service, which allows drivers without special licenses or equipment to pick up passengers in their personal vehicles.
The City Council and Mayor Mitch Landrieu approved an ordinance allowing UberX in New Orleans in April, Adelson reports, but the recent suit alleges that state law prohibits motorists from picking up fares unless they have a chauffeur’s license or commercial driver’s license from the state.
Adelson reports the suit seeks an injunction prohibiting UberX drivers from working unless they have such licenses.
Judge Piper Griffin will preside over a hearing scheduled for Friday, February 5, 2016.
