Taxi Driver Online

This is quite interesting - maybe not because the issue is entirely new, but what the article means as regards wider issues, perhaps...


Why should taxi and private hire drivers be allowed to see what app passengers pay?

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/shoul ... -regulator

Taxi and private hire drivers working on app-based platforms are calling for a shift in how fares are disclosed. At the centre of the dispute is a demand for greater transparency over what passengers are actually charged, and whether drivers are receiving a fair proportion.

Currently, many platforms show drivers only the amount they will earn for each job. This excludes details such as booking fees, surge charges and the full fare collected from the passenger. Without this information, drivers say they have no way of verifying if the pay structure is fair and the commission rates they are charged.

The issue has grown in importance following changes in how pricing is calculated. Platforms such as Uber have moved away from fixed commission models to systems using upfront pricing. This change means the proportion paid to drivers can vary from job to job, with no clear explanation of how the total fare was divided.

Drivers argue this has eroded trust. They say that while passenger fares appear to rise during peak times, their own earnings do not increase at the same rate. The lack of transparency around surge pricing is now a key point of frustration. Drivers want confirmation that premiums charged to customers are being shared proportionately.

With costs for fuel, insurance, and vehicle maintenance continuing to rise, drivers say it is more important than ever to understand how much the passenger pays. Full fare transparency, they argue, would allow them to calculate whether a job is economically viable.

The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) and the GMB are among those backing a regulatory intervention. They are urging licensing authorities to consider whether fare transparency should be a requirement for platforms operating.

In the UK, the issue presents an opportunity for local and devolved governments. Licensing authorities could move to introduce fare disclosure requirements independently, without waiting for national legislation. Such a step would likely gain support among drivers and trade bodies seeking better conditions, but may be challenged by operators working under the model.

Whether the Department for Transport or other central bodies would back such a move remains to be seen. However, with ongoing debates about the future of platform work and how it should be regulated, it’s likely that fare transparency will continue to rise up the agenda.

Don't you mean 'ride-hailing' drivers?

But interesting how TaxiPoint seems to use the term 'platform' instead of 'ride-hailing' or whatever.

Perhaps underlining what I've always said about drivers on legacy platforms doing app-based work? Does this mean they suddenly become ride-hail drivers, or just while they're doing app bookings?

Another point regarding the word 'platform', which is also a modern term often associated with 'ride-hailing' etc. But, as the above effectively confirms, 'circuits' or 'offices' have always been 'platforms', surely, and Uber and Bolt etc are now just the more automated versions of more conventional 'platforms'?

Anyway, as regards the specific issue, are there actually any 'taxi' platforms doing this? The article specifically refers to Uber, but what about the 'taxis' mentioned in the article elsewhere? Freenow, or whatever?

Chances of that happening? I'd guess about the same as James Button's cross-border plan coming to fruition, or the more recent stuff about compulsory meters and regulated tarrifs in PHVs

But there's a much more interesting issue here, in my opinion at least

I mean, if the driver doesn't know what the customer is being charged, that's surely fundamental to the employment status issue?

How could a driver possibly be self-employed if he doesn't even know what price the passenger is being charged?

So which platforms apart from Uber are withholding from the driver the actual fare charged??

If you work in a factory do you know what price the sales team have agreed with the customers buying the product ?

Would the customers be entirely happy if confidential information is passed on to the driver partners ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Do we see what the petrol companies buy fuel at? How much our insurance brokers make? The price that car dealers buy from the manufacturer?

The answer is no. We buy stuff based on what we think is a good price, not based on how much the supplier makes.

If drivers think the rate they are getting from Uber is insufficient, then they need to look elsewhere. I can't stand Uber, but I also understand they are not a charity.

I bet the likes of Uber can't wait until the time they don't need drivers anymore.

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IDFIMH

And don't forget one of the major reasons the Supreme Court found that Uber drivers weren't self-employed:


So if the driver doesn't even know the fare...

https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_20 ... beb959.pdf