App Drivers & Couriers Union calls for break up of Uber London monopoly after London licensing decision

Union cautiously welcomes decision to relicense Uber. ADCU criticises Uber’s failure to meet its compliance obligations and Transport for London failure to properly police the company. ADCU calls on the Mayor of London to break up the Uber monopoly so as to ensure full compliance with transport and employment law in future

The App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) cautiously welcomes the decision of the Westminster Magistrates Court to renew Uber’s license thus securing the jobs of 43,000 drivers employed by Uber.

However, the ADCU believes lessons must now be learned by Uber and Transport for London if we are not to see yet another repeat of this licensing decision making crisis.

Uber deducts 25% of all fares from drivers and in return is responsible for making sure all operations are in full compliance with the law. Uber’s continuous failure to meet its obligations has threatened the livelihoods of 43,000 vulnerable workers most of whom are already earning well below the minimum wage.

Transport for London has again proven itself incapable of regulating and policing a licensed business of the scale and complexity of Uber. TfL fails to properly engage with the Uber driver community and had it done so, many of the failings could have been identified and addressed sooner.

The ADCU is now calling for the Mayor of London to act now to break up the Uber monopoly. He must now direct TfL to insist Uber restrict and reduce the number of licensed drivers allowed to register on the platform in London. Such reductions, achieved through attrition, are necessary to ensure Uber can comfortably meet its compliance obligations including worker rights whilst giving TfL the breathing space necessary so that it can comfortably meet its responsibilities to ensure that Uber drivers and the travelling public are protected.  

 

Yaseen Aslam, President of ADCU said:

“Uber drivers pay the company 25% of every fare and in return are entitled to expect the company to operate the business in a safe and compliant manner. Instead Uber has put profit first and placed the livelihood of 43,000 workers at risk. It is time for the Mayor of London to break up the Uber monopoly by limiting the number of drivers allowed to register on the Uber platform. The reduced scale will give both Uber and Transport for London the breathing space necessary to ensure all compliance obligations – including worker rights - are met in future.”