For Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, it is fairly clear who bought the ride-hailing service by means of the pandemic: his drivers.
“Earlier than Covid, I might say, simply being self vital, we took our drivers with no consideration, to some extent,” he stated. “We have been usually over-supplied, we have been way more of a consumer-focused firm, and the shopper — the rider or eater — was at all times proper.”
The pandemic was what compelled Uber to take a tough have a look at the motive force expertise, Khosrowshahi stated, with an eye fixed towards prioritizing onboarding and different wants.
“The drivers noticed us as a platform that was reliable for them, that listened to them, and was honest,” he stated. “However the nature of the earner financial system and versatile earnings is that it’s important to re-earn that loyalty, each single day.”
“Finally, the ability of Uber is the six-and-a-half million earners who’re on our platform, and the providers they supply for everyone.”
It is not the primary time that Khosrowshahi has famous the virtues of his firm’s drivers. Final 12 months, he stated that his expertise moonlighting as an Uber driver was a wake-up name, one which pushed him to begin valuing his staff behind the wheel extra.
“We began celebrating workers going on the market delivering, workers driving,” he stated on the time. “It’s a level of satisfaction for workers now.”
However Uber drivers aren’t universally content material, Khosrowshahi’s feedback however.
Many have reported elevated competitors and declining earnings in current months, making it harder to remain on the street as a gig employee. And simply final week, pissed off Uber drivers throughout the nation went on strike through the Valentine’s Day vacation, protesting pay charges that fluctuate wildly and which they are saying are unsustainable.
Some are pushing for minimal pay charges for drivers, which have already been enacted in New York Metropolis, Seattle, and California. Comparable proposals are being thought-about in Minneapolis, Chicago, and Massachusetts.
