UBER PROTEST: TfL say ‘we cannot regulate private hire price’ as dispute over pay rumbles on
- Perry Richardson
- Feb 8, 2023
- 1 min read
Transport for London (TfL) has said they cannot regulate the tariffs set by operators like Uber and Bolt after protests yesterday outside regulator buildings.
The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) staged a protest aimed at regulators TfL over their alleged failure to adequately regulate and supervise Uber and Bolt.
February 2023 marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling against Uber. The ADCU claim that the global ride-hailing firm are still not complying with the ruling which centres around workers’ rights.
The union argues that drivers are still not being paid for waiting time and are also pushing for a higher HMRC reimbursement rate, currently set at 45p per mile. The reimbursement rate is used to assess costs when calculating minimum wage.
ADCU are demanding that TfL ban algorithmically driven dynamic pricing by all licensed operators. The union are insisting that Uber and Bolt obey all employment law in full as a condition of licence.
A TfL spokesperson told TaxiPoint that they ‘cannot regulate the price of private hire vehicle journeys’.
Charges made by taxis for public hire are fixed by the Local Authority they are licensed with. The tariff sets the maximum price that a taxi can charge. Private hire vehicles work differently and may charge whatever they want so long as he rates are agreed with the pre-booked passenger beforehand.
The ADCU are looking for fares to increase on both Uber and Bolt platforms to at least £2.50 per mile and for the operator to take no more than 15% in commission from its drivers.
