Uber driver takes TfL to court over licence renewal delay ‘that left him thousands of pounds in debt’Julius Mugabo, 55, has launched a landmark High Court legal challenge against TfL over the delayAn Uber driver is taking Transport for London to court over delays to his licence renewal, which he claims left him thousands of pounds in debt and in fear of losing his homePA WireMegan Howe, News Reporter1 minute ago
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An Uber driver is taking Transport for London to court over delays to his licence renewal, which he claims left him thousands of pounds in debt and in fear of losing his home.
Julius Mugabo, 55, who has been a licensed private hire driver since 2016, has launched a landmark High Court legal challenge against TfL over the delay.
He was one of hundreds of London drivers working for taxi-hailing apps such as Bolt and Uber who suffered prolonged licensing delays, which negatively impacted his life.
Under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, drivers cannot legally work if their licence expires, even if their renewal application is actively pending.
As a result, Mr Mugabo was forced out of work for approximately five months, leading to mounting debts and even the risk of eviction.
Private hire licences must be renewed every three years.
And, Mr Mugabo is not alone. According to FOI data obtained by the Conservatives, there are 100,000 private hire drivers operating in the capital under Bolt or Uber, and around 18,000 of them have received “goodwill” payments of between £300 and £500 due to delays in renewing their licences.
Julius Mugabo, 55, who has been a licensed private hire driver since 2016, has launched a landmark High Court legal challenge against TfL over the delayAFP/Getty
The IWGB union, which represents private-hire drivers, has also said it has heard from more than 500 drivers affected by the delays.
The Uber driver told The Guardian he was bringing the legal action because of the “pain” he has been through and to help other drivers.
While TfL delays renewing licences, he says, drivers like himself still need to eat and pay their bills.
“Because of their delays everything in my life was a mess,” he told the newspaper.
“I owed HMRC £3,000 in tax but because I couldn’t pay my tax bill on time the bill has gone up to £20,000 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.”
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Mr Mugabo hired lawyers from DPG to issue judicial review proceedings and an urgent request for interim relief.
TfL finally issued his renewed licence following the launch of these proceedings.
Despite eventually receiving his license renewal, Mr Mugabo decided to press forward with legal action.
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 judgment handed down on June 25, 2026, Mr Justice Sweeting granted permission on two grounds, recognising that the claim raises “an issue of general importance” concerning the nature and scope of TfL’s duties under the statutory licensing scheme.
This is believed to be the first time these issues have been litigated since the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 came into force.
A successful final ruling in Mr Mugabo’s case could legally force TfL to restructure its entire private hire licensing operation.
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.”
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