IWGB urges Valentine’s Day boycott of ride-hailing apps amid pay and safety dispute
- Perry Richardson
- 56 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Drivers affiliated with the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain have called for a 24-hour consumer boycott of major ride-hailing platforms on Friday 14 February, escalating a long-running dispute over pay, employment protections and safety standards.
The union is urging passengers not to book trips through apps including Uber and Bolt on Valentine’s Day, arguing that current operating models leave many private hire drivers earning below sustainable levels once costs are accounted for. Alongside the boycott, drivers are being asked to log off the apps and join a motorcade protest in central London from 5pm.
At the centre of the dispute is the use of dynamic pricing systems to calculate fares and driver pay. Under these models, fares fluctuate in real time based on demand and other variables. The IWGB says there is insufficient regulatory scrutiny of how such algorithms function, claiming that drivers face reduced earnings and limited transparency over how trips are priced and allocated.
The union argues that after covering expenses such as vehicle rental, insurance, fuel, licensing fees and congestion charges, some drivers report working around 30 hours a week to break even. An academic study published last year by the University of Oxford found that driver earnings declined following the introduction of dynamic pricing, according to the union’s account of the research.
Union calls on passengers to avoid Uber and Bolt for 24 hours as drivers plan central London motorcade protest
Safety concerns also form part of the campaign. The IWGB is seeking stronger protections against unfair dismissal and measures to mitigate the risk of passenger violence. In 2021, Gabriel Bringye, a driver working via Bolt and a union member, was killed while on a job. The case has been repeatedly cited by campaigners calling for enhanced safety safeguards within the private hire sector.
The union notes that cities and jurisdictions including New York, France, Mexico and Barcelona have introduced minimum pay rates or tighter oversight of ride-hailing platforms. It argues that comparable measures have not been adopted in the capital, where more than 100,000 private hire drivers are licensed. Transport for London and the UK Government have yet to set minimum pay floors specific to app-based private hire drivers, although existing employment rulings have addressed worker status and entitlements.
Nader Awaad, Chair of the IWGB Private Hire Drivers Branch and a driver for 7 years, said: “The UK’s private hire industry is a wild west. With no protection from unfair dismissal, drivers see their entire livelihoods go up in smoke, in the blink of an eye, for no reason. With no real safety measures we are left completely unprotected from passenger violence, frequently resulting in serious injuries, or, in the tragic case of our member Gabriel Bringye - death.
“That’s before we even start talking about pay. My colleague drove a passenger from Heathrow Airport to central London the other day. The passenger was being charged £111. Uber paid the driver £29. That’s nearly 75% of the money, not for providing the car, not for covering the fuel, not for insurance, not for vehicle maintenance - just to be on the app. Uber's cut does not justify what they provide.
“Because of these commissions I have to work long hours to earn a living. After covering their car rental, insurance, fuel, maintenance, traffic fines, etc., I believe many drivers are taking home less than the minimum wage. The government says it's improving employment rights. Why are they ignoring gig economy workers like me? We are facing some of the worst working conditions in the UK. Yet we have been completely abandoned. It's time for drivers and riders to come together and use our collective power to demand change.”
Alex Marshall, President of the IWGB Union, said: “Uber uses smoke and mirror pay algorithms and satisfaction surveys to make claims that drivers are well paid and happy. Next time you get in an Uber I invite you to speak with your driver and find out for yourself. Ask them how many hours a week they have to work. Or when the last time they took a holiday was. Or how often they get to spend time with their children.
“People that came before us fought hard to win us weekends, holidays, the minimum wage, capped working hours, and sick pay - basic rights that everyone would agree changed life in our society for the better. But gig economy companies like Uber have found legislation loopholes to strip their workforce of those rights and bring back Dickensian levels of exploitation. Drivers on these apps are now forced to work 70 or even 80 hour weeks in some cases.
“If drivers and riders unite in action, starting with a Valentine’s Day boycott of all ride-hailing apps, we can force TfL and the UK government to follow authorities in New York, France, Mexico and Barcelona, in regulating these platforms, so that drivers can get back the quality of life we all deserve.”
