Drivers working for taxi app Uber in Leicester to take part in a nationwide protest over pay and conditions tomorrow (Friday, February 14). The drivers will log off between 4pm and 10pm, essentially making themselves unavailable to carry passengers.
They will gather in Conduit Street, next to the city's railway station, at 5.30pm to stage a rally. Their action is timed to coincide with similar demonstrations planned by drivers in towns and cities across the country.
The Leicester drivers say the company - and others which operate on a similar model - has increased the commission it takes from their fares. The cost of living crisis, including the price of fuel, have also made their lives more difficult, with many working several extra hours a day to earn what they did before, they told LeicestershireLive.
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Leicester driver Tanveer Hussain said members of Leicester Taxi Driver Group would be taking part in the protest. The 52-year-old, from North Evington, said: "You used to work eight or nine hours a day to earn enough to support your family.
"Now, drivers are doing 12 hour days to earn the same amount. If you don't get the fares you just stay out working.
"A lot of drivers are unhappy, so we will see how many turn up for the protest. We're hoping to get 200 or more. We want to get our point across."
Mr Hussain said drivers were also angry they did not know the fare Uber had charged their customers, only being told how much they had earned for each transaction. They also claim that drivers can be removed from the app "too readily" if a customer makes a complaint, he said.
Other members of the Leicester group told LeicestershireLive they believed their working conditions had deteriorated. Many said they would like local councils to be given greater powers to regulate the system, as they do for Hackney Carriage drivers.
Aziz Adam, 56, from North Evington, said: "Before Covid I was working for another company and I was very happy. But the office closed because of the lockdown and I went to work for Uber full-time.
"It was good at first, but over the past three years or so I've noticed the fares are reducing and it's got to the point where it is unsustainable. There is nobody there to regulate them. If I was working seven or eight hours a day before, then I'm probably doing more like 12 or 13 hours now - and that doesn't guarantee I earn what I did before."
Another driver, Ali Syed, said: "We have no choice, we have to work to the terms set by Uber. That means we are working longer and longer hours and not spending time with our families. I'm giving more of my time to Uber than to my wife and children - and that cant be right."
The first national log-off was carried out by drivers working for another private hire company in September last year. Those drivers were members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which was created to represent workers in the so-called 'gig economy'.
The union said it expected protests on Friday in towns and cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Brighton. The union said: "This log-off will be an important step in uniting drivers up and down the country faced with low pay and insecure conditions.
"As private hire drivers we offer a great service to the customers and form an essential part of the transport system. We deserve to be paid well and to have our jobs protected. Instead, industry profits have soared at our expense.
"The government and licensing authorities have abandoned us to the mercy of these companies. We are left with no choice but to come together and take action ourselves. This log-off has reignited drivers’ faith that by uniting we can transform this industry for the better."
An Uber spokesperson told the Mirror: "As workers, all Uber drivers are guaranteed to earn at least the national living wage when taking trips, with Uber topping up their earnings if they ever fall below this level. The majority of Uber drivers can and do earn much more.
"Uber drivers have the freedom to work where and when they want and have access to industry-leading rights such as holiday pay and a pension, as well as formal representation through GMB Union."
Uber also highlighted that all its drivers receive paid holiday weekly in cash, adding an extra 12 per cent to their earnings, and they get a weekly statement detailing what Uber deducts from their customers' fares.
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