The Uberpocalypse

kinger101

kabayiri wrote: »

I have noticed that there a number of Uber competitors.

Not all work in the way Uber does. Sidecar allows drivers to bid for fares, so no central pricing control. Curb allows for payment to the driver.

If there was a ruling that allowed drivers to work with multiple suppliers, then I could see how drivers were genuinely self employed.

I suspect Uber will take employment and taxation advice to tweak its business model so that their drivers are more likely to fall within the self-employed category.

I'm not aware that Uber has a non-complete clause anyway (esp. given the were claiming their driving were self-employed). These wouldn't be valid.

patman99

Is there any rule that prevents a cabbie from signing-up to other services as well as Uber?.
If there is, how would Uber know what the driver is doing after they have logged-off?.

All Uber need to prove is that drivers are free to obtain their own off-Uber fares and sign up to other similar services and they may well be able to prove the drivers are indeed self-employed.

If Uber are required to treat their drivers as directly employed and have them as PAYE, what is to stop a driver running his own customers in the busy periods, then signing in to Uber during the quiet periods. He knows he will get paid £7.20 for every hour he is logged onto the system whether or not he has any jobs alloccatted to him.

Thrugelmir

patman99 wrote: »

If Uber are required to treat their drivers as directly employed and have them as PAYE, what is to stop a driver running his own customers in the busy periods, then signing in to Uber during the quiet periods. He knows he will get paid £7.20 for every hour he is logged onto the system whether or not he has any jobs alloccatted to him.

Perhaps it's a business model that requires a complete rethink. Rather than a tweak.

PixelPound

michaels wrote: »

I don't really get this. If you can choose your own hours and work for other people at the same time, in what way are you an employee?

Probably the same way some agency workers can choose which shifts to work or where to work, but are still an employee.

PixelPound

dktreesea wrote: »

Yes, based on hours worked. So the question with uber is if a driver clocks on and is available to work but uber don't have any jobs for him to do, does uber have to pay him £7.20 an hour to be available, albeit idle?

Surely its like a zero-hour contract ala Sport Direct, if there is no work you are not needed.