UBER PROTEST

[silverbullet]

[Rat Catcher]

Excellent but maybe needs better communication. I didn't find out about it myself until c.21:30 when I read a WhatsApp sent at 19:35 and that gave no indication of when the withdrawal of service was scheduled to commence, just said until 18:00 Sunday.

Whan I passed DAP on the way home, c.21:53, there was 106 drivers on the Uber queue and 130 on the Free Now Taxi Saver queue.

In any event we should do it every weekend until Fixed Fare Rides are withdrawn from Dublin. More drivers will probably become aware of the protest - and hopefully join in - as the weeks pass.

[markmiwurdz]

Opt out of taxi saver and FF from Uber...no brainers

[Rat Catcher]

The halfwits that queue to pay DAA - and prevent themselves from ever getting a rank permit - can't opt out, all Free Now DAP pickups are PUC free... and they pay DAA €3 per job on top of an annual permit fee out of their own pockets.

Properly organized withdrawals of service is a good idea. Maybe alternate between targeting Uber and Free Now on different weekends?

BTW, there was no notice of this weekend's withdrawal posted at Northside SC rank.

[Octavia1]

https://x.com/Sutton1Mr/status/1989446009794265538?s=20

Be careful if yur workin coppers tonite ...

[Rat Catcher]

Be careful if you're working tonight, period. Not great weather for driving.

[Bob Shillin]

Only seeing this now. I was putting my unusually busy Uber app down to the weather, and wondering why there was very little offered from FN, which is usually the much livlier one for me.

[Jack Meoff]

Is that a protest for New York  ?

[mercenary for hire]

I'm working this morning and almost all Uber jobs are disappearing off the screen and getting covered..not many are are coming back around except the occasional fixed fare job. I dunno what impact this partial strike will have.It's very easy for the airport lads to strike when they'd be in the kesh most weekends mostly unaffected by an Uber stoppage.Same goes for the ambassador lads.Renters got to pay their bill too.

[Rat Catcher]

Only seeing this now. I was putting my unusually busy Uber app down to the weather, and wondering why there was very little offered from FN, which is usually the much livlier one for me.

It wasn't well publicised IMO. Way back when I was marginally involved in organising protests we had a man on every rank. Flyers were handed out and posted on the ranks. I guess these days it's all social media. This is the message I received was at c.19:30 and I was working a busy shift so didn't read it 'till c.21:30 and it didn't have a start time. If subscribers to the biggest driver forum in the trade didn't know 'till the last minute what chance would a man who doesn't bother with any forms of social media or doesn't (electronically) socialise with other drivers have?

The one I got (below) says the dispute is official but doesn't indicate which (if any) of the unions made it official and/or what efforts have been made by the officials to negotiate a ceasefire, etc...

[Rat Catcher]

I'm working this morning and almost all Uber jobs are disappearing off the screen and getting covered..not many are are coming back around except the occasional fixed fare job. I dunno what impact this partial strike will have.It's very easy for the airport lads to strike when they'd be in the kesh most weekends mostly unaffected by an Uber stoppage.Same goes for the ambassador lads.Renters got to pay their bill too.

48 hours might be too long for drivers who need to earn money and/or for the part-time weekend scum?

Drivers might not see the Fixed Fares as a huge issue yet. As MMW alludes to you can simply opt out or ignore the ones that don't suit you. €3 is the biggest hit I've taken on the few I've covered and that was on a €44 fare that took 19 mins 18 secs. I'm more annoyed about not being paid the full fixed fare when it's higher than the meter. If it's fixed it should be fucking fixed.

Free Now's Taxi Save rates are most likely costing drivers a lot more so far, particularly given that all Free Now DAP pickups are Taxi Saver and the drivers covering those have to pay the DAA fees (€10/year + €3/job) out of their own pockets on top of the 15% commission.

However, we know this is the the thin edge of the wedge, most likely a soft intro to get drivers used to the practice so it would be best to nip it in the bud if possible.

Of course, there is a far wider issue at play. We all know from our Rider accounts that you very rarely pay full fare with Uber or Bolt regardless of whether you select a metered rate or fixed fare option. At the moment my Uber Rider account has a "30% off" offer in play. This calls into question how much demand is really there at full (maximum permissible) NTA rates. While the discounts primarily constitute competition between rideshare platforms, any basic understanding of the price elasticity of demand tells us that we are dealing with demand that wouldn't exist in the absence of such competition.... definitely something the officials behind the protest need to understand in  future strategising, IMO.

[Bob Shillin]

In the light of my own ignorance of the protest, and a much busier Uber/quieter FN, it would appear that the protest had some impact, and was the lack of FN work appearing on my screen due to other drivers covering all the work, leaving very little for a driver with less stars?

[mercenary for hire]

I saw a taxi protest on Tik tok the other day and at least 60% of the cars had ambassador stickers.Where was the protest when Freenow introduced taxi saver jobs?.Strange stuff.

[Rat Catcher]

I'm down to Gold with Uber... you'd think Gold is good... good as Gold, maybe... but not so... without Platinum I often don't see more than one or two jobs a day.

With Free Now I seem to fluctuate between 25-30-45-50% of priority. Not sure how it works but at those levels most of what I see is Taxi Saver, of which I'll generally only cover those estimated at c.€30+

It's all manipulation... lose your rating and the only way to get it back (if you want it back) is to cover shite jobs.

[Rat Catcher]

I saw a taxi protest on Tik tok the other day and at least 60% of the cars had ambassador stickers.Where was the protest when Freenow introduced taxi saver jobs?.Strange stuff.

Was out Wednesday in the pissing rain... got jobs up above to Dublin twice. No shortage of full fares / metered fares on both apps (Free Now and Uber) in the city yet the Taxi Saver and "Fixed" Fare offers were being snapped up... the mind boggles.

Do you get more points with those jobs or wha?