Uber Driver Reveals The Dark Secrets Of The Industry

1. Uber has been the subject of a number of controversies

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You might have seen countless new stories in the media about Uber and how they are at the center of a number of controversies.  These controversies include unethical business practices, not following regulations, and even sabotaging the competition.  They've even been in hot water with their drivers for wages and treatment of employees.

2. There have been apparent attempts to sabotage competitors

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Have you ever heard of other cab companies like Lyft

and Gett

?  No?  Well even if you have, you've probably heard very little about them.  You see, back in 2014, Uber employees were actually caught booking and canceling rides with those other cab companies in an attempt to completely disrupt these services.

3. Boycotts in the US

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At the beginning of 2017, Uber took a massive hit when 200,000 users actually deleted their app from their devices.  And this is because the economic social media campaign, GrabYourWallet

advised the public to boycott the service for a number of significant reasons, including the CEO's strong association with Donald Trump.

4. There have been some wage disputes

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According to various sources, Uber has been in a number of wage disputes.  Including back in 2017 when Uber had to pay $20 million in damages to the Federal Trade Commission

in order to settle and resolve allegations that they misled their drivers about their earning potential.

5. Wages keep decreasing

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Over a number of years, it has been reported that drivers have seen their wages decrease further and further.  And this is happening despite them putting in extra hours to make up for their losses.  This is because Uber has been accused to be keeping the prices the same for the customers but lowering the wages for the drivers and pocketing the difference.

6. Drivers have had to increase their hours driving to make up for a loss in wages

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Uber drivers have been hit hard over the years with their decreasing income.  So to try to keep their wages at what they were before, drivers have been increasing their hours behind the wheel and overworking themselves to earn enough money to pay their bills, feed their families, and just live.

7. But there's a restriction on the number of hours they can work

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But many Uber drivers are really unhappy with a lot of Uber's policies including their restriction on hours.  For example, in New York, Uber restricted their drivers to working 12-hour shifts due to safety concerns and if drivers didn't follow this rule and worked over their set hours, they would be deactivated and no longer able to drive for Uber.

8. They're regularly in hot water with their drivers

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Uber has been in the press quite regularly about their unethical business practices and unfair treatment of their drivers.  And the $63 billion company has been regularly accused of not caring about its drivers, some of whom have spoken out about struggling in many ways, including financially.  In fact, Uber has actually been accused of cheating the drivers out of the wage that they deserve.

9. They've raised the prices of rides but left out the driver

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Uber has also been found to have raised the prices for their riders.  And when this happens, you'd assume that the drivers would benefit from this too.  But it hasn't actually worked like that seems and the driver seems to have missed out completely, leaving the $63 billion company to benefit instead.

10. Uber has faced many class action lawsuits from drivers

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Uber has had many class action lawsuits filed against them for various reasons according to some sources.  A lot of these are from their own drivers who want to be seen as employees of Uber rather than independent contractors so they can benefit from fair wages and workers' rights.

11. Drivers have been on countless protests and demonstrations

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DailyBreeze.com

Uber drivers are not suffering in silence though.  In fact, there have been many protests, strikes, and demonstrations made by Uber drivers to make people aware of the unfairness they face whilst driving for Uber.  And most of these are due to pay and even their issues with Uber's algorithm.

12. They've been on strike regularly

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Uber drivers all over the world have staged strikes in response to their unfair and forever decreasing wages, despite Uber's profits.  In fact, in 2022, Uber reported record profits that year but it wasn't reflected in their driver's pay.  And in response, NYC Uber drivers went on strike outside LaGuardia Airport.

13. Background checks aren't foolproof

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In 2015, there was an investigation into Uber's background checks on their drivers and they were accused to be quite lax.  As a result, Uber was found to not use the same reliable software that other taxi companies are required to use.  This software would reliably flag if someone has a criminal record.

14. There's discrimination

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Unfortunately, discrimination happens in so many walks of life and Uber is no different.  In fact, statistics from a study show that certain passengers were left waiting or had their rides canceled by the driver.  And the hypothesis was that it was because drivers could see the rider's name after they confirmed.  Despite this though, Uber doesn't seem to have a plan in place to tackle this issue.

15. People rarely tip

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Uber drivers all say they never get tips.  In other taxi companies, drivers usually tend to get tipped more because of the cash element of the business.  But with Uber, it's always on an app, cashless and it doesn't let the rider choose how much they want to pay in a tip other than percentages that start at 10% which is more than some people will want to pay.

16. You don't really make $1000 a week

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Reddit.com 

In recruitment campaigns, Uber attempts to entice drivers to work with them with their promise of having the earning potential to earn up to $1000 a week.  But this is in fact GROSS pay and there are many restrictions on hours and mileage that makes it difficult to earn this much.  There are also gas and car repairs to take into account too.

17. You're an independent business

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Despite having the Uber name on your car and access to riders through the Uber app, you're essentially an individual contractor rather than an employee.  This means that you don't have the same workers' rights as people that are working elsewhere as an employee amongst other benefits you don't get to have.

18. They take a cut of your earnings

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So you have the benefit of having access to riders via the app and the recognizable company name on your car, but none of this comes for free.  And Uber hasn't made record profits without taking a cut for themselves.  But the problem is, the cut they're taking has been said to be getting bigger and bigger.

19. You have to account for gas

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Out of the measly wage Uber drivers receive, they also have to account for gas in their expenses.  Uber doesn't provide any money for gas for their drivers so it's an extra expense to consider.  Many drivers have actually got electric cars to try to mitigate this.

20. You also have to account for repairs

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With all of the extra driving, you would do as an Uber driver, your car is going to take a little bit of wear and tear.  But Uber doesn't help out with this either.  So that means on top of gas, you have to also account for any repairs your car might need during its lifetime.

21. Uber won't help to maintain your vehicle

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So your vehicle is your own and because of this, it is completely your own responsibility.  Uber won't provide an allowance to help you to maintain your vehicle, even though you are working as an Uber driver.  So it is up to you to make sure your car lasts as long as possible and meets the safety regulations.

22. Passengers are regularly rude

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As an Uber driver, you meet thousands of people and, unfortunately, not everyone is particularly friendly.  In fact, a lot of passengers are just downright rude and Uber drivers have had to put up with not only mild rudeness but also verbal and physical abuse from members of the public.

23. But there are some cool people

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But sometimes, Uber drivers will admit that they've met some really cool people over the months and years in their role.  They have interesting conversations with an array of characters and some drivers have even said that they have been inspired by their passengers and learned new and exciting things.

24. Although some passengers don't follow the rules

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Now, as an Uber driver, there are rules and policies set out by Uber that you have to follow.  But, obviously, the passengers don't know about these so it's up to you to share this information, assess the safety and risks of the ride and you can either refuse a ride or accept it when you're face to face with the rider.

25. You're not allowed to take minors without an adult

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Many Uber drivers have said that it is really common for parents to use their accounts to send an Uber to pick up their kids from school.  But Uber policy states that you cannot pick up a minor without the supervision of an adult.  It causes difficulties when drivers have to refuse a ride in line with the policy but if they do pick them up, they're actually putting themselves at risk.

26. You might drive more than 40 hours a week

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Being an Uber driver isn't like any regular 9-5 job.  In fact, Uber drivers work way more than they don't and this can mean that they work more than the usual 40 hours a week.  Many don't feel like they have a choice because they need to make up for their decreasing earnings.

27. Hours are unsociable

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Many people want to call an Uber or a taxi when they have been out socializing or if they need to get to work or school.  And others might need to get to the airport in the middle of the night.  Ubers are usually around 24 hours a day so the hours are pretty unsociable for the drivers.

28. Drivers don't like Uber

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There have been many disputes between Uber and its drivers.  And it is clear that drivers don't particularly like Uber despite working for them.  This is because it seems that Uber is all about their profits, not their drivers and the drivers seem to be constantly fighting for fairness.

29. Think you're getting into an Uber?  Think again!

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There is a problem with 'fake' Ubers around the world, particularly outside airports where people are rushing around trying to get to their destination.  And these fake Ubers pose a threat to their riders, particularly because they're not real Uber drivers and they tend to really hike the prices.

30. They rely on reviews from riders

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Uber has a ratings and review system and relies on the reviews the riders give to the drivers.  But because of this, there have been instances of a passenger writing misleading and defamatory reviews which have caused the driver to be unfairly deactivated without getting the actual facts.