Uber pledges to make drivers happier

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39347726

Rachel Holt, who manages Uber's operations in the US and Canada, conceded that the firm had underinvested in the driver experience and that the firm was now "re-examining everything we do".

 

Sounds more like lip service to me but lets be optimistic...

 

Wrong country anyway

The change I guess is that they admit they have it wrong. Whether they have it in the system to even know what right is, let alone do something in that direction - is another question.

 

I agree. Admitting they have a problem is already a step in the right direction.

 

Uber was caught red handed stealing Google's driverless cars technology. Maybe now that they know they are about 20 years away from developing thier own driverless car, suddenly now "drivers" are important again...

We drivers are Uber! without us there is no Uber!

It is RSDU's position that time is not on our side, drivers are made to lose money every day driving at current base rates in most cities .

RSDU would like to see immidiate improvment to drivers working conditions and pay. Only then can we take any of Uber's latest announcments seriously.

 

Uber is consistently caught red handed stealing its drivers labour. Only the drivers don't have the money of Google to go after Uber with monster lawsuits.

 

It will come back to bite them soon enough...

 

How?

I'm on your side but I can't see Uber ever running out of slave ant wannabes...

It seems that for every quitter, there's three naive newbies onboard...

 

The intake of new drivers should slow down after enough publicity about poor working conditions.

 

I just had a conversation with a pax who said driving sounded so cool and could fit right into her schedule.

It's a common reply over here (in Sydney) and Uber's recent actions suggest that's the kind of driver they want.

I feel only ex-cabbies will survive full-time Ubering.

 

Base rates are very diffrent in Melbourbe. Only $1.00 per km. $1.45 per KM in Sydney which may explain the raise in drivers intake, its not too bad of a deal at such rate.

 

Yeah I'm aware of Melb rates. Cost of living must be much lower over there right? Do you know the reasons why there's such a discrepancy between Australia's two biggest cities of roughly equal population?

 

I dont think the cost of living is that far off nowadays. Not enough to justify an almost 50% difference.

I think it is more to do with the size of the Taxi industry in Melbourne and Uber's quest to smash that industry. We don't have a Train to the Airport, part of the major reasons we have such a massive Taxi industry here.

 

Losing experienced drivers will hurt Uber.

There's no shortage of newbie ants waiting to jump on board, but as they become disillusioned with a lack of work, and seeing the streets crawling with ants, calling and cancelling becoming commonplace, service levels will fall and satisfaction levels plunge!

It's already happening in Sydney and I don't doubt in Melbourne too.

 

But I think with these high saturation levels, Uber can just deactivate the call and cancel drivers without feeling their loss.

I feel Uber knows exactly what they are doing and they don't care about drivers, that's for sure

 

Definitely possible. I feel they make up their policies as they go. Nothing is set in stone, we just need to do what's best for us, making our business as profitable as possible.

 

Bingo. Further, there is little or no human logic involved in these policies, it is a (badly designed) algorithm with a number of randomly changing variables.
Lowest possible cost solution.
Which is pretty much why people are so frustrated, they are trying to have an argument with an app.

 

Some of the abuse i have hurled at the robots have been nothing short of unacceptable for any other workplace!

 

Definitely feels like it. I read a US post on UP, that in 3 cities they're trialling having ratings based on the last 100 trips only. So one 1 star will have an even bigger impact on ratings

Another way they're fiddling with the system randomly for no good reason. Having ratings based on lifetime trips would be better and fairer.

 

But then how would they torment us? Thinning the herd is what it's known as. How's your rating? Improved from 4.60 yet?