Taxi Driver Online

Nothing particularly new here, but never heard of this 'Trip Radar' thing before

But stuff like this certainly won't help Uber's delayed start-up in Aberdeen, but it says here it's been delayed till Christmas because of the legal action.

Taking that with a bit of a pinch of salt. Particulary because Dundee isn't mentioned, and no sign of the launch there, while the launch timetables were supposed to be the same in Aberdeen and Dundee?

August, wasn't it??


Glasgow Uber drivers to protest with 'putting lives at risk' warning

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/246 ... sk-warning

Uber drivers in Glasgow are to stage a protest in the city demanding fair pay and more protecting while warning that a new system being put in place will put lives at risk.

The drivers say their pay has plummeted in the last year, with only 20 percent of them seeing their earnings rise in comparison to last year.

The protest is to take place outside the company’s ‘green light hub’ in Washington Street in the city.

Similar protests have been staged in Glasgow in recent years with drivers concerned about pay and safety.

A survey of drivers who are members of GMB Scotland, who are representing them, revealed only one in five are earning more now than they were a year ago.

GMB say the way their fares and wages are calculated is ‘unclear’ and fuels uncertainty and frustration among the workers.

Uber uses surge-pricing to increase fare prices when demand is higher but GMB Scotland organiser in the sector, Paul McLaughlin, says Uber must be clearer and ensure the increased revenue is shared with drivers.

He said: “Our members are committed and skilled drivers working to ensure a first-class service for Uber users.

“The very least they deserve is to be given full and clear information about how fares and earnings are calculated.

“The company must understand the need for that clarity and urgently deliver it.”

Drivers are also fearing that the proposed introduction and rollout of the new ‘Trip Radar’ system will endanger lives on the road.

The electronic system which offers fares to multiples drivers at the same time demands drivers’ attention, and they claim, will be a distraction adding to the risks to them, passengers and other road users.

Mr McLaughlin said: “The rollout of this system should be paused until the drivers’ concerns are properly addressed.

“The company’s absolute priority must be the safety of our members and every other road user.”

Drivers in Glasgow previously protested last year about their long working hours with some suggesting they had to work as much as 100 hours per week.

A similar protest over pay took place in Glasgow and across the UK in 2021 with drivers also claiming on that occasion that staff had been unfairly dismissed.

The controversial taxi firm first launched in Glasgow in 2015, and have since been working in Edinburgh and they are expecting to begin operating in Aberdeen before Christmas.

The company had been awarded a licence to launch in 2018 and later surrendered it, but decided to apply again and were once again given permission to launch in June.

They had hoped to begin working in the city in August but an appeal from the Unite union had held that up. That has since been dropped and they are planning to begin driving there before the end of the year.

Uber have been contacted for comment.

The Glasgow action mirrors similar protests and pickets across the UK in 2024. Drivers in Bristol are targeting the company's local office every Wednesday, while in April a convoy of drivers brought Birmingham to a standstill.

Commenting on the Birmingham protests, an Uber spokesperson told the BBC: “We regularly engage with drivers, including through our industry-leading agreement with GMB Union which ensures all drivers have access to full union representation.”

There have also been protests in other countries where the app operates, with drivers carrying out a nationwide strike in America in February and drivers in Minneapolis winning a pay dispute against the company in March.

I'm not sure, but I think it's some system where drivers bid for work rather than using the nearest car process.

Nothing special really, and I suspect those jobs aren't the best-paid ones, which for Uber is saying something.

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IDFIMH

Uber drivers protest in Glasgow over 'unfair' pay

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9jdyzzdgvo



Uber drivers have protested outside the company's hub in Glasgow to demand better pay and job protection.

The drivers said their wages had plummeted in the last year despite prices rising for customers, and the company took an unfair slice of the fare.

GMB Scotland, representing the workers, said it was unclear how the company calculated fares and wages and it did not take increased fuel and insurance costs into account.

Uber said its drivers were guaranteed the National Living Wage and it regularly engaged with workers through the union.

A survey of members by the GMB revealed only one in five drivers was earning more now compared to a year ago.

Uber uses surge pricing, where fares rise when demand is higher, and drivers said the company must be more transparent about the system to ensure the increased revenue is fairly shared with them.

Amir Humza, 27, has been working for Uber in Glasgow for a over a year and says job rates are getting lower "day by day".

"Every week it slowly goes down by a few margins rather than up and expenses are getting higher," he said.

"For an airport job, about nine miles from the city centre, you're only getting about £11 but when you speak to the customers, they're charging them around £25.

"And then there's no guarantee you'll get a hire back because it's out the city zone. It's not worth the mileage we're doing for it - it's a bit like slave labour to be honest."

He added: "They just take their percentage and we don't know what the customer is paying, they just offer us a price.

"Some drivers take all the rubbish jobs as well because they'd rather do that than sit about so the rates go down more and more."

'Our income shrank'

He also raised concerns with the new dashboard system, which offers drivers new trips while they have passengers from an ongoing job.

"Normally if they offer you a job, you've got a couple of seconds to accept it and so you're losing concentration on the road as you're driving," he said.

"Other drivers are desperate to make money so you have to act quick to get it and it could be dangerous."

Ewa Zezula-wozniczka, a GMB union representative, said drivers were struggling to earn enough to cover their expenses, including insurance and petrol.

"Everything went up and our income shrank," she told BBC Scotland News.

"We respect our passengers and we would totally love to have every single passenger onboard and take them.

"But we also need to think about our families, our income and how we’ll pay the bills to be able to sustain ourselves."

Glasgow driver Vini Sharma said he had been forced to take on other work as his Uber wages were not enough.

"Everything has gone up, I recently paid £390 for my insurance last month," he said.

"Inflation is high, petrol has gone up - and the job prices are just not fair."

Gerry Mcilveen, 58, has worked for the company in Glasgow since 2016 - but he has spent nearly 20 years driving private hires.

"When you talk to the customer, they're paying top dollar and we're getting a smaller slice," he told BBC Scotland News.

"It just makes you think, where's it going? The wages need to go up.

"The company is making a lot of money, but we're the ones out on the street doing the work."

Mr Mcilveen, who is also a union representative for the Glasgow drivers, said Uber needed to improve how it dealt with suspended drivers.

"A lot of people are being suspended and then they are left without work for weeks," he said.

"They've got no other work to go to apart from going to other companies.

"It's not right. If they've got an issue, they should take you in and deal with it. Often it's difficult to actually speak to someone about what's going on."

An Uber spokesperson said: "All drivers on Uber are guaranteed holiday pay, access to a pension plan, free sickness protection and guaranteed National Living Wage – though the vast majority earn more.

"We regularly engage with drivers, including through our national agreement with GMB Union which ensures all drivers have access to full union representation.”

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IDFIMH

Uber involved in questionable business practices - colour me shocked...

Cynic mode on :

I suspect this has more to do with the union trying to recruit paying members than any serious attempt at influencing Ufail

Cynic mode off.

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector