GIG-ECONOMY PRACTICES: Uber’s Blacklane deal raises concern for chauffeur sector, ADCU warns

The App Drivers & Couriers Union has warned that Uber’s agreement to acquire chauffeur firm Blacklane could accelerate the spread of gig economy practices into the high-end transport sector, raising concerns over competition and driver welfare.

The union said the move represents a significant expansion of Uber’s operating model beyond mainstream private hire into executive chauffeur services, a segment traditionally associated with higher service standards, fixed pricing structures and more stable working conditions.

In a statement responding to reports of the deal, the ADCU said it feared the introduction of Uber’s algorithm-driven systems into the chauffeur market would replicate conditions already seen across the private hire sector.

The union has previously argued that automated pricing and job allocation systems have reduced driver earnings and increased financial insecurity, something which Uber has strongly denied in the past, and says helps increase driver earnings.

ADCU says proposed acquisition could extend algorithmic pricing and worker concerns into premium private hire market

James Farrar, founder of Worker Info Exchange, which is supporting legal challenges against Uber’s pay systems in the Netherlands, said the deal could have wider implications for independent operators. “This move further concentrates corporate control within a single global platform while squeezing independent operators and driving down everyone’s livelihoods. Regulators must act before Uber’s model of surveillance and algorithmic pricing becomes the default for every kind of work,” he said.

The ADCU also renewed calls for stronger regulatory enforcement in London, urging Transport for London to apply existing legal standards more robustly. The union pointed to the Uber BV v Aslam ruling, which established that Uber drivers are workers entitled to minimum wage and holiday pay, arguing that compliance should be a condition of licence renewal.

Follow us on YouTube here

The union said drivers should be compensated for all logged-in time rather than per trip, claiming current pay structures incentivise long working hours while limiting earnings stability. It also called for mandatory transparency around automated decision-making systems and safeguards to prevent algorithmic wage-setting below sustainable levels.

It has not been publicly detailed how Blacklane would be integrated into its wider platform, and it remains unclear at this point whether the chauffeur operator would retain its existing pricing and service model.