A new PR disaster for them today with the Metro and others reporting that drivers are refusing guidedogs. On phone so cant link but maybe someone else can?
21 April 2015
The ride-sharing firm, Uber is being taken to court over allegations that its drivers are discriminating against people with visual impairment.
The National Federation for the Blind of California is one of those bringing the case which cites at least 40 instances where drivers have refused to carry guide dogs.
A blind woman is spearheading a campaign against Uber drivers after being repeatedly snubbed because she has a guide dog.
Jade Sharp, 23, said some drivers for the hire firm cancel pick-ups when they learn that her five-year-old golden retriever Brodie will be coming along.
Four Uber drivers have been found guilty of breaching equality laws after Transport for London prosecutions based on her evidence, and four more cases are still to be heard.
The latest driver to be convicted was Mohamed Mohamoud, 51, of Tulse Hill, who was told to pay £1,546 in fines and costs at Hammersmith magistrates’ court.
....
An Uber spokesman apologised and said Mohamoud no longer works for the firm. “Whilst the drivers on the Uber platform are self-employed we remind them of their legal obligation to take service animals before they can start driving,” he said.
As for local minicab services, well surely that's just as bad and requires reporting/enforcement. That's another problem in itself, and I know that locally we have poor enforcement and seemingly the operators of at least one very large cab firm running rings around the council that is short on staff and budget.
I want to be able to
1) Order a minicab without having to explain what road I want the cab from
I'd like to pay McDonald's rates for better-than-McDonald's service, but that's not generally how business works.7) Pay minicab rates for better-than-minicab service
So walk around the corner and stand outside a building.I thought I'd try a large incumbent non-Uber minicab firm recently. I was on a street corner, and able to give my location either by the names of the roads or their numbers - but the call taker insisted that they could only send cars to buildings, not street corners, and demanded a postcode. :roll:
I'd like to pay McDonald's rates for better-than-McDonald's service, but that's not generally how business works.
If it does, it means someone is losing out somewhere.
There are plenty that don't feel the same:Uber manage it just fine, and the uber drivers I talk to think they're getting a better deal than with their previous minicab firms.
Uber drivers gathered outside of Uber’s Long Island City offices on Monday to protest the low fares.
A group of Uber drivers, who say they number about a thousand, are attempting to organize a strike against the booming taxi company over complaints of falling fares and unfair working conditions.
The drivers, who are mostly comprised of SUV and black car drivers, have planned a protest outside of the Long Island City Uber Office on Monday morning after refusing to drive for the service — and in some cases, switching to rival Lyft — Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is the second protest the group, called Uber Drivers Network NYC, will be staging in a week against the company.
One major grievance is that Uber has extended a summer discount into the fall, cutting deep into drivers wages and forcing them to work extra hours to compensate. Another complaint, according to an organizer and SUV driver who gave his name only as Belal, is that both SUV and black car drivers have been forced to accept requests for UberX — the non-luxury counterpart to Uber’s black car service that charges a lower rate — if they are within the area. SUV and black car drivers never received UberX requests until earlier this summer when the company rolled out a program that allowed these premium car drivers to opt into being listed as both a black car and UberX service with the promise of a 35% to 50% increase in hourly income.
According to Belal, he and many other drivers tried this option once or twice and realized they could not make as much as they did in the time they normally would work just being a black car driver exclusively and tried to email and text the company to opt out. But he and other drivers continue to receive UberX requests despite his attempts to return to just being a premium driver.
Now drivers like Belal are not only awarded low rider acceptance rates they are also being temporarily suspended for only choosing to accept SUV or black car requests.
“Uber is basically abusing the driver,” Belal told BuzzFeed News. “They give us a 24 hour suspension and threaten that you will lose your chance with Uber. To get a ride for $8.00, I’ll have to work the whole day. Gas and insurance for SUV’s are expensive. I have to pay $80 to $100 a day in gas.”
Total Earnings – £173.27 for 37 hours and 24 minutes…
Yes, it is £4.63 per hour. The bare minimum pay in the UK since 1st of April 2016 is £7.20 per hour. I don’t even know why I am still doing it, but the numbers are more that discouraging. Since I didn’t drive that Saturday and Sunday, on paper £487 quid sounds more than ok, but only if you already have a car and all that stuff. You would still incur a £50 to £80 quid a week for the insurance if you are an experienced driver and have a no-claim bonus, but you’d be still making close to the minimum wage at best.
Outside the firm's London offices, around 40 protesters held placards with slogans such as "Uber 1* rating for greed" and "Uber Xploitation" with many saying the demonstration was about a range of complaints over pay.
"It's about falling incomes all the time," Uber driver and trade union representative James Farrar told Reuters.
"Increasing commission is one way, there have been three fare drops in the last two years is another way and to continue to flood the circuit (with drivers) so that there's instant response is another way," he added.
"I dont even know why I am still doing it"
I don't see the problem. Don't do it then. Uber is nothing without the drivers.
I've been using Uber for a while now, it's a fantastic service and a real boon after a night out.
Where?
What are you comparing it with?
Do the drivers seem happy with it?
Where?
What are you comparing it with?
Do the drivers seem happy with it?
<snip>
In addition the vast majority of the drivers that I have spoken to a happy with Uber.
Sam
compared to what though ?
ordinary PHV work ? with all the hassle of cash handling and so on , the difficulties of old school radio disptch ...
Uber i nthe Uk has used a fundamentally different model to that which has been used elsewhere in the world - Uk uber ops are PHVs and the cars and drivers are palted/ badged as such the 'USP' is the use of the uber app for dispatch and payment ... plenty of local firms had apps /sms based requesting and some had the ability to take card payments whether by their own app, in the office ( CHP and CHNP ) or by drivers using some of the newer 'low cost' terminals / smart phone dongle card terminals
I'd imagine the likes of Addison Lee will be watching the Uber court case very closely.
If I was to compare it with the Uber Taxis that I have been using in Manchester I have compared it to the normal private hire I have found it much easier as I don't have to worry about having cash on me and it normally comes a few pounds cheaper also.
In addition the vast majority of the drivers that I have spoken to a happy with Uber.
Sam
Where?
What are you comparing it with?
Do the drivers seem happy with it?
I'd imagine the likes of Addison Lee will be watching the Uber court case very closely.
I'd sooner get rid of Deliveroo and Uber Eats, as they're a menace to road users AND pedestrians.
compared to what though ?
ordinary PHV work ? with all the hassle of cash handling and so on , the difficulties of old school radio disptch ...
Uber i nthe Uk has used a fundamentally different model to that which has been used elsewhere in the world - Uk uber ops are PHVs and the cars and drivers are palted/ badged as such the 'USP' is the use of the uber app for dispatch and payment ... plenty of local firms had apps /sms based requesting and some had the ability to take card payments whether by their own app, in the office ( CHP and CHNP ) or by drivers using some of the newer 'low cost' terminals / smart phone dongle card terminals
Thought the quality of those apps etc has been driven somewhat by the competition from Uber, in my view.
They're actually better than Uber in most cases - you can advance book. And that competition is heading to Uber who plan to introduce that feature.