Uber criticised for failure to fairly compensate drivers affected by technical issues

London Uber drivers have criticised the platform for offering an £80 goodwill gesture after a software issue cost them three days of work.

Drivers were unable to access the Uber platform over the weekend of 14 - 17 August due to an issue with the system, which failed to alert drivers when their profile photographs were due to expire.

GMB, which represents thousands of private hire drivers, estimates that hundreds of drivers were affected and has pushed Uber to pay compensation. The platform has now offered a goodwill gesture of just £80, which split over three 8 hour days works out at just £3.33 an hour.

Separately, the union has also been made aware of an issue with Uber Lux, Uber's premium option, failing to make eligible drivers visible to riders on the app.

These drivers have not yet been offered any form of compensation.

A GMB member and Uber driver said:

"Uber logged me out unexpectedly at the busiest period of the week and offered me a miserly £80 for putting me out of work for three days.

"Working for Uber is continuously becoming less profitable, I was let down and disappointed."

A GMB member and Uber Lux driver said:

“For around three and a half weeks, I was effectively unable to access Uber Lux which caused me significant financial hardship, losing access to around £1000 worth of work a week.

“What made the situation particularly distressing was that I repeatedly contacted Uber, followed the troubleshooting they provided, and even visited an Uber Hub four times, yet the problem remained unresolved."

Matthew Wright, GMB Regional Organiser, said:

"Uber's offer of £80 for three days' lost work is an insult.

"Our members want fair compensation for their financial losses and reassurance that Uber will deal with any future issues swiftly and effectively."