San Francisco: Tensions have long simmered between Uber and its drivers who power the ride-hailing service. Drivers held protests when Uber cut fares with little warning and have filed class-action lawsuits to be recognised as company employees rather than independent contractors.
Uber is now trying to improve the experience of its drivers.
On Monday, the company announced a host of software improvements to its app to address driver demands. Among the changes, drivers can now more easily pause ride requests, making it easier for them to take bathroom breaks and fill their petrol tanks. Drivers can now also be paid instantly for each ride they complete, rather than weekly, and see on the app’s dashboard how much they have earned.
Uber said in a blog post that it had heard from drivers “that there are plenty of things we can do to make driving more empowering and worth your while”. The company added, “Beginning today, we are rolling out a number of features and rewards in more cities to help you get the most out of your time on the road.”
The changes come after the recent settlement of a pair of class actions by drivers who wanted to be classified as full-time employees instead of contractors, a status that gives them few worker protections. Under the terms of the settlement, Uber said it would pay as much as $100 million (Dh367 million) to roughly 385,000 drivers. It also agreed to several concessions, including giving more information on how and why drivers can be barred from using the app.
After the settlement was announced, Uber also said it had agreed to support something akin to a union for its drivers in New York City. The association, called the Independent Drivers Guild, plans to create an official way for drivers to voice their concerns to the company, and to give some limited benefits and worker protections.
Among the many changes for drivers that Uber announced was a partnership with companies that can give tax advice to drivers. Uber said drivers could now also receive discounts on Uber rides, auto maintenance and cellphone data plans.
In addition, Uber created a fuel finder function in the app that shows drivers the cheapest places nearby to fill up the petrol tank, with the aim that Uber can some day negotiate with filling stations to provide discounts to Uber drivers.
And the Uber app will automatically start a ride two minutes after arriving at a rider’s location so that drivers are paid if they have to wait for passengers. Tardy passengers are a frequent complaint on driver blogs.
Uber faces competition from third-party companies that provide many of the improvements the ride-hailing service is now rolling out. Rivals include SherpaShare, an online service that helps independent contractors track their hours, mileage and expenses — information that can be used to help drivers file their taxes.
Workers can also use SherpaShare’s social network as a virtual water cooler, where they swap work tips and gossip. Most of SherpaShare’s customers work for Uber or its rival Lyft, and many work for more than one on-demand service.
New York Times News Service
