Uber launches driver feedback programme amid calls for greater protection of workers’ rights

Process to be overseen by independent review board

A panel of five drivers in each UK city in which Uber operates will dedicate time to meet other drivers each week (Reuters)

Under-fire ride sharing service Uber has announced the launch of a driver feedback programme across the UK, responding to calls for greater rights and protections for workers in the so-called gig economy.

The rights of Uber drivers have been a source of fierce debate since the San Francisco-based company started growing rapidly in Britain, and especially since Transport for London last year announced that it was revoking the group’s licence to operate in the capital in its current form.

Uber has since committed to improving the service it offers customers and the conditions under which drivers work. On Friday it said that the creation of a formal feedback programme would hold the company more "accountable".

“Licensed drivers who use our app are absolutely vital to our business. Thanks to their feedback we’ve already made a number of improvements like investing in discounted illness cover and in-app tipping. But we know we can do a better job of listening to drivers and acting on what they say,” said Tom Elvidge, Uber’s UK general manager.

“Our new driver advisory groups in each city will not only formalise how we listen to drivers, but also help generate ideas for further changes we can make,” he added.

Under the initiative, a panel of five drivers in each UK city in which Uber operates will dedicate time to meet other drivers each week.

That advisory group will gather feedback and then meet with senior Uber staff on a monthly basis to discuss their findings. The company said that it will then report back each month with a detailed response to the feedback.

The whole process will be overseen by an independent review board made up of three licensed private hire drivers who use the app and three people independent of Uber. The independent representatives will be Natasha Grice, Virgin Trains’ general manager for the West Midlands, Polly Mackenzie, director of think tank Demos, and Chris Bryce, the chief executive of the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE).

“The private hire drivers that use the Uber app are the company’s greatest advocates and their input is vital to Uber’s continued success,” said Ms Grice. “I look forward to working as part of the independent Review Board, sharing my experiences and thoughts on how best to nurture people to give them a real sense of purpose.”

Ms McKenzie said that the best way to manage and regulate the UK’s labour market is to have a comprehensive understanding of it.

“That has to start with a deep conversation with those in it. That's why it's good to see Uber making a real effort to understand what the private hire drivers that use its app need and want,” she said.

Workers’ rights have been a topic of fierce discussion across the UK since ex-Tony Blair adviser Matthew Taylor last year published his extensive review into working practices and how workers can be better protected.

Earlier this week, Theresa May announced plans to overhaul the rights of millions of workers – including those in the UK’s gig-economy – promising them better holiday and sick pay rights and stronger contracts.

The Prime Minister also pledged a crackdown on firms using unpaid interns and to hike fines companies face if they mistreat staff.