HOW FAR WILL UBER DRIVE ME DRIVERS

A huge detailed academic study on Uber drivers was published in the latest Australian Economic Review. But now, into the breach, step a team of heroes. How are you going to try to make effective labour market laws that protect workers if you donвЂ™t know who they are, where theyвЂ™re working, or how much theyвЂ™re making, etc? You canвЂ™t. ItвЂ™s a slippery thing - and what makes it even more like holding onto a thrashing barramundi while standing in a tiny dinghy is the nationвЂ™s slow-moving statistical agencies have not bothered to measure it.Дo Uber drivers make $10 an hour? $50 an hour? Are they working two jobs at the same time? Do they feel exploited? Do they stick around for years? We had our hunches but we werenвЂ™t sure, until now. The big problem with the gig economyВ - okay, oneВ of the big problems - is we know next to nothing about it. This has been an enormous, embarrassing national blind spot. 'If we're not seeing it attract and retain drivers we wouldn't roll it out further,' Cinelli said.Finally! Some proper information on the gig economy and who is in it. Other drivers in online groups said the upfront fare information allowed them to select only higher-paying rides, with several drivers sharing screenshots of increased earnings since the altered algorithm was launched.Д®xpansion will depend on drivers. 'My earnings are already destroyed by the high prices for gas and now Uber is taking even more money away from me on long trips,' said Kevin Hernandez, a Houston driver. Some complained the new algorithm seemed arbitrary and no longer allowed them to calculate pay based on a per-mile (per-km) basis.

HOW FAR WILL UBER DRIVE ME DRIVER

Uber said data from some cities with upfront pay have shown a 22% average increase in driver earnings for trips in which the distance to the pickup location is longer than the trip itself.Дriver responses were mixed on some online groups.

Providing drivers with upfront pay details meant the company also had to reduce earnings for longer trips to prevent drivers from avoiding short rides, Cinelli said. 'Otherwise, we wouldn't have rolled it out at this time,' he said, adding that Uber had the ability to deactivate drivers who repeatedly declined trips based on race or low-income areas. Uber declined to comment on the financial impact of the changes for the company, which could mean it has to incur higher costs for short trips.Д¬inelli said the company had not seen any discrimination by drivers in California since the policy launched there in 2020.

'Gig work is very competitive, not just with Lyft (LYFT.O) but other platforms, and we think this feature really enhances our platform's competitiveness versus others,' said Dennis Cinelli, Uber's head of mobility in the United States and Canada.Д¬inelli said the pay changes at this point would not impact consumer prices, adding the changes 'aren't financial features.' The test has been rolled out in cities across Texas, Florida and the Midwest where gig worker reforms are not on the agenda. Uber already has a similar program in California, launched in the wake of a 2020 state battle over gig worker rights to prove its drivers are independent contractors.Д«ut the company said its latest fare pilot in the United States was not related to gig worker regulation.

How far will uber drive me