UBER UPDATE
UBER’S GREEN U-TURN: DRIVERS LEFT ‘CARRYING THE DEBT’ AS 2030 EV TARGET SCRAPPED
The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) has launched a blistering attack on Uber, labelling the company’s decision to abandon its 2030 electric vehicle (EV) target a “massive betrayal” of its workforce. The union claims thousands of drivers were incentivised to shoulder the financial burden of Uber’s environmental goals, only to be abandoned as the company retreats from its commitments. Many drivers entered into high- cost Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) agreements to switch to electric, a move the ADCU says was made in “good faith” based on Uber’s long-term promises. The policy reversal comes during what the union describes as the “harshest operating environment in living memory.” Drivers are currently facing a “perfect storm”
of financial pressures: l Algorithmic pay cuts: new terms introduced on January 5 have undermined earnings and transparency.
l Regulatory costs: the removal of the London Congestion Charge exemption for EVs has spiked daily overheads.
l Licensing delays: significant backlogs at TfL have left drivers unable to work, leading to missed debt payments and, in some cases, vehicle repossession. ADCU President, Cristina- Georgiana Ioanitescu, accused the ride-hailing giant of using drivers as pawns for corporate image. “Uber has cynically used drivers to make itself look like an environ- mentally conscious company, and pushed drivers into expensive EV contracts to deliver its PR strategy,”
Ioanitescu said. “Now that strategy has collapsed, and it is drivers who are left carrying the debt, the risk and the consequences." The union argues that while Uber’s corporate boardrooms are insulated from failure, the drivers are the ones “paying the price for bad decisions.” The fallout from the EV policy shift has added fuel to the simmering labour dispute. The ADCU has called for a national strike on February 3, with plans to picket Uber’s UK HQ. The protest will target “dynamic pricing” and the erosion of driver pay & conditions. The ADCU is now demanding that Uber take “immediate respon- sibility” for the financial damage caused to those who invested in EVs and is calling for a radical overhaul of how the company manages its algorithmic pay structures.
UBER GETS GREEN LIGHT TO ACQUIRE CROWN TAXI IN TAIWAN EXPANSION
Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has officially cleared the way for Uber to acquire local operator Crown Taxi, signalling further consolidation in Taiwan’s com- petitive ride-hailing landscape. The decision, announced on 7 January, follows an assessment of how the merger between the U.S. tech giant’s subsidiary and the Taiwanese firm would impact market dynamics. Despite Uber’s global scale, the FTC determined that the acquisition “will not significantly change their share of the taxi dispatching service market.”
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Regulators noted that the two entities already maintained a pre- existing partnership, making the formal merger a natural pro- gression rather than a disruptive market shift. The commission’s
assessment
concluded that Uber is unlikely to engage in anti-competitive behaviour. Specifically, the FTC found that the deal would not pose risks such as: l “Unilaterally raising fares” “Colluding with other companies to fix prices”
l “Creating barriers to market entry” The approval comes at a time of
heightened competition in Taiwan. The FTC highlighted a robust field of rivals, including domestic heavyweights Taiwan Taxi Co. and yoxi, alongside Line GO and the recent 2025 entry of European competitor Bolt. The commission classified the deal as both a horizontal and vertical merger, noting that Uber already “supplies the dispatching system used by Crown Taxi’s drivers.” By formalising the union, the FTC expects the companies to “facilitate business integration and reduce administrative layers, so improving operational efficiency.”
FEBRUARY 2026 PHTM
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