Uber and the rise of fleet managed drivers

[gr1nch]

Just for back from Portugal and after getting ripped off by a taxi driver in Porto, tried Uber later. Chatting with the driver, he explained that he worked (wage + commission + full use of car) for a boss who had a fleet of 10 cars all fully maintained. All the driver had to do was clean the car and drive people. Zero outlay. How much was up to him, but clearly had to be full time on average. The car he had use of was a newish Golf estate on 50km. He was pretty happy with his lot.
What surprised me was how close his employer was to a conventional taxi or limo company. I looked it up and it's pretty big in the states and organised inc 3rd party companies advising fleet owners, who tend to be limo types mainly doing UberBlack. There's a couple with 30+ cars in Sydney. Seems a lucrative business. But at odds with the"gig" economy message that enables people to earn income from their assets (car) when not in use.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Aletank]

Uber take 20/25% of the fare.
What stops people doin it as a second income in "spare time" is the cost of insurance - £3k+ for you 1st year.
So to just recoup that insurance money, you're goin to have to put a lot of hours in before you make money.
Doable on a full time job but really as a extra income.

 

[Scott_F]

What also stops people doing it is their desire to be treated fairly and avoid hard-nosed, exploitative companies.

Uber loses landmark tribunal decision over drivers' working rights  

Any organisation that forces people who clearly work for them to be self-employed in order to provide "the flexibility that our drivers value" (and not to avoid little things like the minimum wage, workplace pensions, holiday pay, sick pay, paid maternity leave, the working time directive and a whole host of other employee rights) is unfair, exploitative and best avoided.

 

[nick mercedes]

unfair, exploitative and best avoided.

All these app based middlemen seem to be good at charging, eg:

https://restaurants.just-eat.co.uk/benefits.html

"sign up fee is £699 + VAT"

"14% commission"

 

[ToeKnee]

Don't Uber drivers in the UK also have to have a private hire licence?

 

[Aletank]

Don't Uber drivers in the UK also have to have a private hire licence?

Yes they do, not that hard to get though to be honest, well in Merseyside anyway.
CRB check £50
Medical £50
5 Day NVQ - £170

 

[christopherwk]

Interesting, I went to Porto in July this year, and used a combination of both local taxis and Uber (only used Uber from the hotel, where there was wi-fi).

Taxi from the airport to Novotel Porto Gaia was around 22 euros, whereas on the way back Uber was 13 Euros. Taxis were generally older vehicles, saw a W123 still in use! Uber cars I travelled in was a Nissan Leaf, Jaguar X-Type and a Renault Clio estate.

Think there's some sort of legislation going on between Uber and the Portuguese authorities, because you can't access Uber Portugal's homepage in Portugal, but you can here.

Anyway, I'm an Uber driver here. It only works if you have your own clients, and use Uber to fill in any quiet periods/gaps you got, for a bit of pocket money, where you wouldn't be earning anything anyway. As long as it covers your variable costs (i.e. fuel), then it's fine. You can rely on it full time, but you have to put in the hours.

 

[219]

I'd certainly rather travel in style in a W123 taxi , even if it was on a million K , than newer stuff .

I also noted when in Tenerife recently that most taxis are still W124 - even saw a couple which were stretch estate cars , probably the result of a limo and estate being combined - as well as still a fair few W123 taxis and a couple of 201s .

I also saw a quite superb W108 , but it was a private car .

 

[christopherwk]

Here's a pic of said W123!

 

[Smithy53]

Interesting, I went to Porto in July this year, and used a combination of both local taxis and Uber (only used Uber from the hotel, where there was wi-fi).

Taxi from the airport to Novotel Porto Gaia was around 22 euros, whereas on the way back Uber was 13 Euros. Taxis were generally older vehicles, saw a W123 still in use! Uber cars I travelled in was a Nissan Leaf, Jaguar X-Type and a Renault Clio estate.

Think there's some sort of legislation going on between Uber and the Portuguese authorities, because you can't access Uber Portugal's homepage in Portugal, but you can here.

Anyway, I'm an Uber driver here. It only works if you have your own clients, and use Uber to fill in any quiet periods/gaps you got, for a bit of pocket money, where you wouldn't be earning anything anyway. As long as it covers your variable costs (i.e. fuel), then it's fine. You can rely on it full time, but you have to put in the hours.

Are private hire drivers allowed to do that?

 

[markjay]

...Anyway, I'm an Uber driver here. It only works if you have your own clients, ...

You mean to say you use the car as hire car outside Uber (i.e. finding your own clients) - then drive for Uber when you have 'quiet' hours?

 

[MD5]

I fail to understand how Uber have been ruled to be employers of their drivers? As I understand it, the drivers supply their own cars and pay a %age in commission for the work they are given through the app, making them self-employed franchisees, I would have thought?

 

[christopherwk]

Are private hire drivers allowed to do that?

Yes, if they have an operator's licence.