MOSCOW, January 14 (Sputnik) — The European Court of Justice offered London Black Cab drivers a bit of relief from the competition Wednesday in a ruling stating that the cabs' right to use the bus lane did not confer drivers a "selective economic advantage," the Associated Press reported.
The Luxembourg-based court shot down private taxi firm Addison Lee's case against Transport for London. Addison Lee argued that allowing the Black Cabs to use bus lanes while denying the same opportunity to budget taxis, known in the UK as minicabs, amounted to unlawful state support for the Black Cabs.
Addison Lee had appealed to the European Court of Justice after losing its case in Britain's High Court of Justice.
London's Black Cabs, numbering about 25,000, have been feeling the pinch in recent years due to the spread of inexpensive minicabs, and more recently from ride-share applications such as Uber, AFP explained.