Taxi drivers have lost a Supreme Court fight against the West Australian government for not prosecuting Uber over alleged breaches of taxi laws.
Peter John Martin, Zoran Jankulovski and Satinder Singh Samra represented a wider group of taxi drivers who claimed the regulatory response to the introduction of UberX was inadequate and prosecutions should have begun against those behind Uber, not just a small group of UberX drivers.
They claimed Transport Minister Dean Nalder and the Department of Transport had adopted a "policy" not to prosecute those involved in providing Uber ride sharing services in WA.
They also said their incomes had been cut by up to 30 per cent due to the alleged unlawful conduct of Uber companies and drivers.
But in his judgment on Tuesday, Justice Paul Tottle said he was not satisfied there was a policy of not prosecuting Uber drivers.
"The issue raised must be resolved by debate in the political arena and not in the courts," he said.
Outside court, Mr Martin said the group intended to appeal the court ruling.
"Absolutely devastating - we're the guys that have put our money and our livelihoods on the line and through the decision of this judge, we're screwed," he said.
The UberX Rider App and the UberX Driver App were launched in WA in October 2014.
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