UBER UPDATE
UBER DRIVERS TOLD ACCEPT NEW TERMS OR BE BLOCKED
The App Drivers and Couriers’ Union has condemned Uber’s decision to force drivers to accept deeply unfair new Terms and Conditions by 5 January or lose access to the platform. Under the new agreement, due to apply from 2026, Uber drivers outside London will be required to accept a variable service fee ranging from 3% to 49%, creating huge uncertainty over pay and pushing many drivers’ earnings to unsustainable levels. ADCU says Uber is exploiting a Supreme Court judgment that enabled a two-tier contract system. In London, drivers are not treated as agents and contract directly
with passengers. Elsewhere in the UK, drivers are classed as agents - allowing Uber to impose contracts with variable commission rates. The union has consistently opposed the use of agency status and continues to
challenge
policies that undermine drivers’ pay and conditions. Cristina Georgiana-Ioanitescu, President of ADCU, said: “This move will have a devastating impact on drivers’ ability to make a living. No one can earn a decent living with a commission that can jump to 49%. “ADCU has long called for a 15% cap on commission so drivers can predict their earnings. This level of
variation destroys that certainty and risks pushing drivers below the minimum wage once waiting time is taken into account - potentially breaching Uber’s obli- gations following Uber v Aslam. “The Employment Rights Bill passed in December offered little protection for gig workers without worker status. Our members can be removed from the app at any time, leaving them especially vulnerable to coercive changes like this.” ADCU is calling on Uber to withdraw the new terms and engage with drivers and their representatives to
agree fair,
transparent, and sustainable conditions.
CUT OFF THE UBER APP: COTSWOLD CABBIES DEMAND BAN OVER FEARS OF OUT OF AREA DRIVERS
Licensed drivers in the Cotswolds are demanding a local ban on the Uber app, claiming they are losing “thousands of pounds” due to competition from drivers licensed in distant areas. Cabbies licensed by Cotswold DC (CDC) raised their concerns at a November council meeting, alleging that out-of-area Uber drivers are “plying for trade” in towns such as Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh. Driver spokesperson, Robert Miller, formally requested that the council “effectively geo fence the Cotswolds” by blocking the app. “Uber does not have a CDC licence to operate in the Cotswolds,” Mr. Miller stated. “That means that cars that are coming into the area, and
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we have quite a number of them, are operating outside of the regulations.” He claimed the northern Cotswolds were “overrun” by an estimated 10 to 15 PH drivers from places such as South Glos, Swindon and Wolver- hampton during the summer. Miller argued that this situation undermines the local licensing system. “Technology has overtaken the regulations, for fares, our work, that we pay the council a
considerable amount of money to have the privilege to do,” he said. “If it isn’t important, why did Gloucestershire police run a sting operation in 2018 at Cheltenham races to catch out hawkers on the side of the road.” Environment and regulatory services cabinet member, Andrea Pellegram, responded to the plea, expressing doubt over the council’s ability to implement an outright ban. “You want us to cut off the Uber app, I suspect we are not able to do that,” she told the meeting, adding: “I’m going to have to do some research on this.” She confirmed the council will undertake a consultation and offered to meet with the taxi drivers to discuss their concerns.
JANUARY 2026 PHTM
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