Uber drivers and campaigners to meet in Southampton to discuss dynamic pay model and Trip Radar feature
- Perry Richardson
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Uber drivers, policymakers and labour rights campaigners are set to meet in Southampton this week as pressure grows over the company’s use of algorithmic pay systems and the impact on driver earnings.
The consultation event, taking place on Wednesday 11 February, has been organised by Worker Info Exchange, a UK-based non-profit that supports platform workers in asserting their digital rights. The gathering aims to raise awareness of the ongoing Dynamic Pay Claim, a collective legal action challenging Uber’s use of real-time, algorithmically set fares.
The claim targets Uber’s dynamic pay model, which replaced the traditional time-and-distance calculation with rates determined by proprietary algorithms. Drivers involved in the action argue that the system has increased unpaid waiting time and made it harder to understand how fares and job allocations are calculated.
According to research conducted by the University of Oxford in partnership with Worker Info Exchange, drivers operating under dynamic pay have experienced a drop in hourly earnings alongside an increase in the proportion of fares retained by Uber. The findings have been cited by campaigners as evidence that algorithmic management is shifting financial risk from platforms to workers.
Worker Info Exchange event highlights legal challenge to Uber’s dynamic pay model and wider concerns over AI-driven management
The Southampton event will also address wider concerns about Uber’s growing use of artificial intelligence across its platform. Drivers are expected to discuss the rollout of tools such as AI Driver Assistant and Trip Radar, which they say are intensifying monitoring and control over how work is offered and accepted.
Speakers and attendees are also set to examine the longer-term implications of automation, including the potential impact of autonomous vehicles on employment in the private hire sector. Campaigners warn that without regulatory safeguards, drivers could face job losses or be forced into direct competition with automated systems.
Local Uber drivers from Southampton are expected to attend and share first-hand experiences of working under dynamic pay. Local MPs, councillors and policymakers have been invited to engage directly with participants.
James Farrar, Founder and Director of Worker Information Exchange, said: “We’re bringing this conversation to Southampton because local drivers deserve fairness, clarity and respect for their rights.
“This event is an opportunity for drivers, elected officials and the public to understand why we’re calling for transparency and accountability in how digital platforms use data and algorithms to determine pay.
“Algorithmic pay for Uber drivers is a warning sign for the wider economy: as dynamic, data-driven pay systems spread beyond the gig economy, more workers across all sectors risk losing predictable earnings, transparency and bargaining power, with pay increasingly set by opaque algorithms rather than fair, human-negotiated standards.”
