‘We are considering the Supreme Court’s judgment’ says TfL following Uber workers’ rights ruling

Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed they are ‘considering’ the judgement of last week’s landmark Supreme Court ruling which saw Uber drivers handed basic workers’ rights.

Speaking to TaxiPoint, the capital’s transport regulator also said it is looking into the potential impact of the judgement across all transport services in London.

The confirmed action from TfL follows last week’s Supreme Court ruling handing victory to Uber drivers after a long battle for workers’ rights. Tens of thousands of Uber drivers can now claim the right to be classed as workers, which includes the right to earn the minimum wage and holiday pay, after the Supreme Court handed down its judgement.

A TfL spokesperson told TaxiPoint: “We are considering the Supreme Court’s judgment and any impacts on the provision of transport services in London.”

TfL’s response follows the London Assembly Transport Committee’s warning that the transport regulators should provide ‘urgent consideration’ to the private hire sector based on the consequences of the workers’ rights judgement.

Alison Moore AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, said: “Today’s Supreme Court decision on Uber will have consequences for the private hire sector in London. TfL will need to give urgent consideration to what this could mean for transport around the capital in the future.

“While today’s ruling is mainly focused on the employment rights of Uber drivers, this decision may have a knock on effect for transport in the capital. As more details of the impact of this decision emerge, our Committee will be investigating what this means for Londoners and London’s private hire drivers.”

There is also now renewed pressure on TfL to reconsider the current licensing regulations placed on private hire operators based on the results of the judgement.

Steve Garelick, GMB Regional Organiser Logistics, Gig Economy & Local Government, said: “GMB will be writing again to the Mayor and TfL to reconsider the regulations in relation to Private hire operators behaviours in relation to licensing. Clearly we expect the same standards as are expected of drivers who are licensed by the regulator.”

In response to the Supreme Court’s judgement, Jaime Heywood, Uber’s Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, said: “We respect the Court’s decision which focused on a small number of drivers who use the Uber app in 2016.

“Since then we have made some significant changes to our business, guided by drivers every step of the way. These include giving even more control over how they earn and providing more protections like free insurance in case of sickness or injury. We are committed to doing more and will now consult with every active driver across the UK to understand the changes they want to see.”