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A new study from Georgetown University codified what many Uber drivers have felt for years: it's hard to move forward when your boss is an algorithm.
The researchers released their study Thursday after more than two years of interviews with 40 drivers in the Washington DC area. The results are not meant to be representative of the thousands of "partners", as Uber calls them, working on the platform in the whole world.
On the contrary, "the data collected and reviewed here is evidence of the work patterns in which Uber drivers navigate and the types of worker problems that many workers face in one of the workplaces. the most visible, "said the authors. Anecdotes also corroborate the stories told to Business Insider by several drivers across the country in recent months.
Among the many frustrations with interviews with Uber – both with the company and with the application – expressed by the drivers during the interviews, there was a glaring problem: half of the drivers surveyed earn so much little per month, less than $ 2,000 a month, that they fall under the definition of the government. of poverty.
"Since it's Washington-based, Uber has cut its basic fare for drivers repeatedly, added security fees (then increased it, calling it a booking fee), and increased the commission that he receives from new drivers, "the study said. "These changes, built into the heart of the Uber platform, seem to make sense: keep Uber drivers on the road and in the dark."
To his credit, Uber offers options to drivers in the event of an unexpected event, such as a flat tire or a car accident, but even these can sometimes cause more harm than good. The researchers compared these practices to the "corporate cities" of the mining companies of the past. Here's an anecdote, let's point out ours:
Joan, a 48-year-old female driver, was caught in the debt trap after hitting a pothole and damaging the suspension system of her car. She spent almost all the money needed to repair the car. Then, when efforts to repair the vehicle failed, she spent more on renting a car to Uber. While the Uber Xchange program offered smaller credit burdens than traditional lenders, payments that Uber automatically deducted from driver paychecks were high. It looked like a company town. Joan paid $ 138, more than the national average leases of $ 100 a week. Before working for Uber, Joan collected free Craigslist items and sold them on eBay or at flea markets. Her regular income of about $ 35,000 as a school bus driver covered her mortgage, but not the grocery store for herself and her son. Joan started driving for Uber a few nights after work, 16 hours a day. But after a year, Joan left Uber and returned the car. Even after driving six to seven days a week, she was late on her bills.
Uber has challenged many findings of the studies, highlighting the company's "180 days of change" program, launched in June 2017 to fight his reputation tainted by accusations of sexism and the departure of founder, Travis Kalanick.
"Uber has changed a lot since the beginning of this research.Conductor partners are at the heart of our service – and Uber would not be what it is today without them," said a spokesman for the company in an email. "Building on what we have already introduced, such as application failovers, a redesigned driver application, Instant Pay and new rewards programs like Uber Pro, we will continue to improve the experience for and with the drivers, every day. "
The study also reveals a blatant lack of community among Uber drivers.
"75% of the drivers in this study said they had never had a drink or meal with people who had previously driven for Uber, the study said. The lack of physical space in which workers have gathered or gathered together creates a material barrier to collective identities and profoundly shapes the geography of work and the opportunities for collective bargaining at the workplace of the platform. "
This has prompted many drivers to visit online forums such as uberpeople.net, where they discuss everything from payroll to best practices, and so on. Often, online forums are the only place where drivers can interface with others to compare their interactions with the business.
Uber has been fighting so that drivers remain independent contractors rather than full-fledged employees, which he would be required to provide with benefits. The company warned in its stock market filing this month that it could seriously hurt its business if drivers were considered employees rather than subcontractors.
"Our conclusion is simple," the researchers said. "The trends identified in this study raise questions about the extent to which working conditions in the hiking industry conform to contemporary labor standards."
You can read the full study here.
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