Passengers are being urged not to use Uber during a strike by drivers in Bristol this Wednesday (December 14) over changes to the Uber fare system which drivers said resulted in a significant pay cut. They will be holding a protest outside the Uber Bristol offices in St Pauls at 1pm before driving through the City Centre and onto Clifton Down during the 24-hour strike period which begins at Midnight on Tuesday.
The App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) which represents Uber drivers across the country has already taken the company to court over drivers taking home less than the minimum wage and being left without holiday or sick pay. They are now calling for ‘smart pricing’ to be scrapped.
Uber’s current pricing system means that mileage is calculated as the crow flies without taking into account the mileage of the actual route. Shaban Ali who works for Uber in Bristol said that he is having to work almost double the hours to take home the same amount of pay as he did last year.
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Uber driver and father of two, Mr Ali said: “It doesn’t make sense the way we are being treated because this is putting us all in debt. Smart pricing is really hurting drivers, we’re getting short changed on the mileage and losing out.
“Everything is going up across the board so what they are paying the drivers is not an accurate reflection of the cost of living. It’s impacting me really badly because I have two children.
“I can just see my hours going up and up and that’s reducing the amount of time I’m spending with my family. I just have to whack up the hours so I can make the same that I made a year ago.
“I’m averaging 60-80 [hours a week]. With this kind of job you really can’t budget and essentially it’s just the more hours you put in.”
Not only are drivers having to pay more for fuel, insurance and MOTs but despite ADCU winning against Uber in the Supreme court, the union says that the company is still not fully compliant with UK employment law.
Drivers still do not get paid in between passengers and although Uber now offers a pension and holiday pay, this is added on to their hourly rate. Drivers are demanding a £5 base rate for each journey and a minimum rate of £2.50 per mile and 20p per minute.
ADCU President, Yaseen Aslam is urging people not to use Uber during the 24 hour strike this Wednesday. Mr Aslam said: “Traditionally Christmas is a really busy time for the trade and with the current cost of living crisis and the fuel hike, our members like everyone are under a lot of pressure at the moment.
“Especially with what’s happening with the nurses and the Railway workers, we’re all in the same boat and it’s time for us to come together in solidarity. It's a bit disappointing that we have to do this strike but it’s the only way to have our voices heard.
“We are asking that the public stand in solidarity and do not cross our digital picket line by using Uber during the strike. If you are using Uber during the strike then you are indirectly crossing the picket line.
“We won at the supreme court and the court clarified our position that we are workers and therefore we are entitled to the basic rights; to earn the minimum wage, a pension, we have the right not to be discriminated against and we’re entitled to holiday.
“Uber has complied with some of that ruling but the Supreme court was clear in its ruling that we are workers from the time we log on until the time we log off. Something needs to be done especially when there is no transparency around fares, it’s a bit like walking up to the supermarket checkout to get a pint of milk and one minute it’s £1 and the next minute it’s 80p.”
Bristol's Private Hire Drivers Association will be supporting the demonstration and strike this Wednesday and are calling for better regulation to protect taxi drivers across companies, although they say that the majority are now with Uber in Bristol. They have written an open letter which they are asking all taxi drivers in Bristol to sign before they present their demands to Bristol and South Gloucestershire Council.
An Uber Spokesperson said: “Uber’s pricing can vary by trip in order to improve reliability at certain times. Drivers are always shown how much they’ll be paid before accepting a trip and they receive 100 per cent of this amount.
"There have been a number of important changes to the way drivers earn on Uber since 2021 - Uber is the only platform to provide holiday pay and access to a pension plan to help boost their earnings, which have grown significantly due to recent fare increases and growing rider demand”
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