UBER UPDATE NEW YORK COURT BLOCKS UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS’ ATTEMPT TO RAISE RIDE FARES
On Thursday 5 January, hundreds of Uber drivers gathered outside the company’s HQ in New York, chanting “Shame on Uber.” The drivers were starting a 24-hour strike in response to Uber’s move to sue New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) for approving a raise and fare hike. In November, the TLC approved raises for drivers by 7.42% per minute and 23.93% per mile. The increase would require drivers be paid a minimum of $27.15 for a 30 minute, or 7.5 mile trip – an increase of more than $4 from original rates and $2.50 from current rates. But Uber called TLC’s proposed hike “economically unjustifiable”, stating that implementing the pay raise would cost it between $21m and $23m per month, a huge financial responsibility considering Uber has been dealing with quarterly revenue losses. Uber argued that to avoid taking on the extra costs, it would have to raise fares by ten per cent, which could drive business away. The raise had been expected to go into effect at the end of 2022, but Uber’s lawsuit blocked it. On Friday, a hearing was held to determine whether to keep or lift the order blocking the raise with Uber claiming the TLC used a flawed method to determine the per-minute and per-mile rate increases. In his ruling on 6 January, Manhattan state court Justice Arthur Engoron, who according to Bloomberg was a taxi driver in his college days, agreed with Uber. The judge sympathised with drivers for Uber and
UBER DRIVERS PROTEST IN SOUTHAMPTON
On Tuesday Jan- uary 10, South- ampton Uber drivers
pro-
tested outside the Uber office and then marched to the town centre to make public aware of uber exploitation. The protest was organised by the SNPA and members of ADCU who had joined in together in solidarity.
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other ride-hail companies but said that the TLC had not supported its case for the raise. “It’s just not enough to say there’s inflation and 100 drivers said gas prices shot up,” he said. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, told Engadget in a statement that the drivers will not rest until the raise is implemented. “We call on the TLC to immediately redo the rules so drivers do not have to wait one day longer for their raise. A few missing words in a Statement of Basis and Purpose does not justify denying a raise meant to help thousands of drivers pay their rent and put food on the table for their families “Shame on Uber for spending millions on this lawsuit only to deny drivers an increase of $1.66 more on an average trip. This raise belongs to the drivers and we will not rest until it’s back in our hands,” he said. “I am disappointed for the city’s drivers, who deserve better,” David Do, the commission’s chairman, said in a prepared statement. “Once the written ruling is issued, we are going to review it carefully and continue to do what’s needed to protect this important pay standard.”
FRENCH UBER DRIVERS TO EARN OVER €7 PER RIDE
France’s Uber drivers are poised to earn a minimum of €7.65 net (£6.75) per ride after a sector-wide deal with unions, setting up a precedent after months of bargaining talks with taxi apps, Uber said on Wednesday 18 January. The agreement hikes the minimum price per ride by 27%, bringing it to a €10.20 gross, or €7.65 net. The agreement was reached with French unions and professional associations and will apply to all taxi apps in France, including Bolt and FreeNow. “It’s the first agreement of this kind in France,” said Yassine Bensaci, a union rep who’s been working as an app driver since 2014. “It’s just the first step, as talks are going on other matters,” he said. The talks, instigated by the French government, come after years of conflict between traditional taxi drivers and taxi apps as well court rulings that have challenged the wider gig economy.
FEBRUARY 2023 PHTM
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