Taxi Driver Online

Press release: Leeds Uber drivers protest 17% rate cut

Uber drivers will be demonstrating outside Leeds Town Hall on Friday March 18 between 4pm and 6pm to highlight to the City Council licensing authorities the grave impact of recent fare cuts.

Uber recently cut fares by up to 17% resulting in a reduction in driver take home pay by as much as 40%. These cuts come on top of a significant increase in area licensing and the reduction in the number of operators as Uber begins to capture the entire market. The result is drivers have to work much longer hours for much less money. Drivers are working excessive and unsafe hours – as much as 90 hours per week – and earning £5 per hour or less. Besides the obvious violation of basic worker rights, these working conditions pose a significant threat to the travelling public.

James Farrar Co Founder of UPHD said:

‘No fair minded person can condone working conditions little better than rolling sweat shops in 2016 Leeds. Certainly, we should not expect an elected city council to preside over such an exploitative system.’

Councillor Mary Harland, Chair of the Leeds City Council Licensing Committee and John Mulcahy, Head of Elections, Licensing and Registration have agreed to meet a delegation from UPHD representing drivers to hear their concerns.

Protesting drivers intend to raise key questions to the Council including

Should a firm that fails to guarantee compensation to drivers of at least the national minimum wage equivalent, pays VAT on UK business in the Netherlands and contracts Leeds drivers from the Netherlands be assessed as ‘Fit and Proper’ for an operator’s license in Leeds under the law?

· Does the Council appreciate the safety implications of drivers having to work increasingly excessive hours due to declining pay at Uber?

· Why has the Council allowed Uber to operate without a 24 hour manned office in the City per the regulatory requirements?

· Why has neither the City nor Uber provided suitable infrastructure for Uber’s growing operation in the City including parking areas so to avoid congestion and suitable rest and comfort facilities?

Nadeem Iqbal, UPHD West Yorkshire Organiser said:

‘Leeds drivers are crying out for the City authorities to step into what has become an increasingly out of control, unsafe and unfair licensing regime. Every day I meet drivers now facing debt and despair as they struggle to keep up with their fixed costs while their incomes fall due to falling fares and a flood of new drivers who Uber have promised riches to.’

Yaseen Aslam Co Founder of UPHD said:

‘Throughout the country we are seeing the same story unfold with Uber. Local operators are driven to the wall while Uber force all responsibility and cost onto drivers while it retains the profits while bearing no risk. We welcome the technological innovation Uber brings to the market but exploitation of people does not have to be the price we all pay for progress.’

Contacts:

James Farrar - 07530 319206
Yaseen Aslam - 07894 528992
Nadeem Iqbal - 07716 552700

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

What I can't understand is why, when the min wage is now £7.20 an hour, people carry on working in a job for less than that when they can go and get ANY other job and be at least £100 a week better off ?

Not £7.20 until April 1st.

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Grandad,

Why are they protesting ?...They are All self employed and IF they don't like it they can leave and work elsewhere...problem solved !

App+sh1te =uninstall. Doh.

You can't fix stupid.

Leeds minicab drivers protest over claims of “slave labour” and “rolling sweat shop” conditions by Uber



Hundreds of private hire drivers gathered outside Leeds Town Hall to protest at fare slashes which they claim are tantamount to “slave labour” - and will put passenger safety at risk by forcing cabbies to work longer hours to make ends meet.

The row relates to new minimum rates being introduced by Uber, the European app-based private hire operator which is no stranger to controversy

The firm is cutting minimum fares by 13 per cent in a bid to boost passenger numbers and dominate the huge market.

It claims drivers’ hourly earnings will actually go UP - but has promised to “re-assess” the situation if that doesn’t happen.

However drivers claim the opposite - and that their cars will become “rolling sweat shops”.

The calls earlier today (Friday) were led by the United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) union. It wants Leeds City Council to step in and cap all private hire driver numbers. As well as lobbying the authority, it claims support from Leeds MP Hilary Benn and Naz Shah from Bradford West, as they fear the issue will spread across other West Yorkshire and Lancashire cities.

James Farrar, co-founder of UPHD, said: “No fair minded person can condone working conditions little better than rolling sweat shops in 2016 Leeds.

“Certainly, we should not expect an elected city council to preside over such an exploitative system.”

Nadeem Iqbal, UPHD West Yorkshire Organiser, added: “Leeds drivers are crying out for the city authorities to step into what has become an increasingly out of control, unsafe and unfair operating environment.

“Every day I meet drivers now facing debt and despair as they struggle to keep up with their fixed costs while their incomes fall due to falling fares and a flood of new drivers who Uber have promised riches to.”

Max Lines, from Uber, said: “We want the thousands of drivers who use our app to have more fare-paying passengers in their car for each hour on the road.

“That’s why, to encourage more people to use Uber to get from A to B, fares were reduced in West Yorkshire.

“It’s early days but the impact of the first couple of weeks of this change is really encouraging.

“Cheaper fares have seen more people using Uber to get around and the result is hourly payments for drivers have gone up by 2.5 per cent compared to the week before the price change.

“We believe these changes will continue to mean drivers are busier, but while the city adjusts to the new prices we have put in place minimum payment guarantees.

“Drivers using our app in Leeds are getting average payments of £12-13 an hour after Uber’s service fee. And, as we said at the outset, if the amount partner-drivers make on the road isn’t what we expect, we’ll reassess this price change.”

Councillor Mary Harland, chair of Leeds City Council’s licensing committee, said: “We are aware of a number of concerns raised by license holders regarding Uber and have arranged to meet with the organisers of today’s protest to listen to their concerns first hand.

“We will then consider the matter further and then take any action as necessary.”


Read more: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... z43LMAwZiS

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Yeh they can run away or they can knuckle down and take them on, good job previous generations didnt display you gutlessness or we wouldnt have a welfare State free education paid holidays democracy ect

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Because uber has apparently managed to close down other PH operators - although arguably this was down to drivers removing their radio equipment etc

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

There is very little the City Council can do about this....Surely the best action would be for All drivers not to turn up for work for one day...result = no customers able to get a vehicle no money for Uber...they will soon be at the table negotiating with the drivers.
Unfortunately this is what will happen in the west...we are now becoming low wage economies....the minimum wage has become ''the wage''...take it or leave it..while big companies like uber operate off shore and pay no taxes and make millions !

On the money

reports of the protest only seemingly carried by one local newspaper - no nationals

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Its called supply and demand old chap, if you cant earn the money, simply leave the system and work for someone else.



because in reality its a silly condition of license?



That's not the job of the local authority

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Maybe it's because they cant get any other job, it's drive or the dole office,

But in the real world the greedy and desperate will always turn up to take advantage of the extra work load brought about through the sacrifice and protests of their more principled colleagues...such is human nature