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<keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> on Thursday refuted a report that claimed the ride-hailing major planned to exit the Indian market and held discussions with potential buyers to sell its India business. Bloomberg reported that the US-based company explored selling the India business, but "suspended discussions after tech startup valuations cratered." In a statement shared with IANS, an Uber spokesperson said the company never explored exiting India -- not even for a minute -- and the report is "categorically false." "India is as important to Uber today as it was when we launched nine years ago. We are serving riders and drivers across more than 100 cities, hiring Indian talent aggressively, and planning for the next decade and beyond," the company spokesperson said. Uber competes with SoftBank-backed <keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola" source="Orion">Ola</keyword> in the country. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in April that it will expand its product offerings and its team in India. "We continue to expand the product offerings for the Indian consumer. Whether it is autos, motos or high-capacity vehicles or rentals, India has always been a very big part of the Uber journey," he said during the Virtual i3 summit organised by Times Bridge. Uber aims to expand its engineering talent in India to more than 1,000 people from 700 at present, he had announced. Last month, <keyword id="2502101" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-india" source="Orion">Uber India</keyword>'s Director of Central Operations, Nitish Bhushan, said that they are "always striving to make driving with Uber a viable and attractive option for drivers and the recent hike in fares will directly boost their earnings per trip". To remove frustration for riders and drivers alike, the company is also showing trip destinations to drivers before they decide to accept the ride. "Drivers at the Uber advisory council meeting told us they would like more flexibility around payments. We are now showing drivers the mode of payment (cash or online) before the trip starts," the company said. To make the cash or online decision irrelevant, the company has also introduced a daily pay process for drivers. With these changes, the company said that they are also reinforcing their service quality expectations with drivers, especially in areas like cancellation and ensuring AC rides. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/most-underprivileged-women-are-keen-to-start-businesses-but-lack-skills-and-financial-know-how/articleshow/92411578.cms">Most underprivileged women are keen to start businesses but lack skills and financial know-how</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tata-consumer-sees-growth-on-the-back-of-starbucks-tea-and-salt/articleshow/92410036.cms">Tata Consumer sees growth on the back of Starbucks, tea and salt</a>

Uber dismisses report that said it's planning to sell off its India business

<ul><li><keyword id="205081" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Meru">Meru</keyword> alleged that <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> had adopted certain abusive practices to oust its competitors from the market. </li><li><keyword id="47183" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCI">CCI</keyword> has observed that Uber is not in the dominant position as Ola too has a strong presence here. </li><li>Meru had previously alleged that Ola was the dominant player, which CCI had closed as Uber was a “stronger player”.</li></ul>India’s antitrust watchdog the <keyword id="97393" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> (CCI) has rejected radio taxi service Meru’s plea alleging that cab hailing app Uber abused its dominant position in the Indian ride hailing market. Meru had alleged that US-based Uber, owing to its dominant position, had adopted certain abusive practices to oust its competitors from the market. These practices included offering unreasonable discounts to the customers leading to low/predatory prices, employing incentive policies that were not economically justified. Meru noted that these incentive policies were aimed at exclusively engaging the drivers to its network so as to exclude its competitors from having access to such drivers. CCI, in its order dated July 14, 2021, has observed that Uber is not in the dominant position in the Indian ride hailing segment, as Bengaluru-based Ola too exists in the market. Back in 2015, Meru had alleged that Ola was the dominant player in the market, which CCI had closed as Uber was a “stronger player”. “And in the facts of that case [Meru’s plea against Ola in 2015], the <keyword id="6355822" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="commission">Commission</keyword> was of the view that despite Ola having the largest network, the network effects were not strong enough to deter entry and rapid expansion of another big competitor ‘Uber’ who was competing fiercely with Ola in the relevant market of ‘radio taxi services in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>’,” CCI said, in its notice of July 14. The director general (DG) was looking into Meru’s plea against Uber’s dominance in the Indian market and has given a similar finding (submitted in February 2020). Though Meru has said this finding is contradictory to the earlier order on Ola, but CCI has found no such infirmity. The DG has found traces of predatory pricing structure in the case of Uber as evident through its losses between 2014-2018. However, it has also found similar trends in the case of both Ola and Meru. “This shows that the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by Uber was in order to compete aggressively for the market (just like its closest competitor Ola) and to build its network,” CCI has maintained. The investigation also revealed that the discounts and incentives have gradually declined over time with a positive per trip margin recorded by Uber since October 2017. Business Insider has reached out to both Meru and Uber seeking more details about the CCI’s latest ruling. The article will be updated if and when they respond to our queries. With respect to Meru’s allegation of Uber’s exclusive agreements with its drivers, the DG investigation has revealed that the drivers face no restriction in terms of getting attached to a competitor’s network. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/wazirx-coindcx-and-coinswitch-kubers-advertising-roll-has-hit-a-roadblock-in-india/articleshow/84432645.cms">WazirX, CoinDCX and CoinSwitch Kuber have been asked to add ‘standardised disclaimers’ to their ads on television</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/just-dial-share-price-surge-as-mukesh-ambani-is-looking-to-buy-just-dial/articleshow/84432450.cms">As Mukesh Ambani reportedly dials in, Just Dial stocks surge 3%</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/pubg-developer-krafton-is-going-to-help-indian-storytelling-platform-pratilipi-to-turn-a-few-stories-into-games/articleshow/84430517.cms">PUBG developer Krafton is going to help Indian storytelling platform Pratilipi to turn a few stories into games</a>

India’s antitrust watchdog rejects radio taxi Meru’s plea against Uber, says there is an 'ever-expanding pool of drivers' available

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1042120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> is entertaining the idea of dispatching yellow cabs, per a <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/elobbyist_search/pdf/CPR466263.pdf">city lobbying disclosure</a>.</li><li><keyword id="11892836" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york" source="Orion">New York</keyword> City app users could potentially see <keyword id="44434" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="taxi" source="Orion">taxi</keyword> cabs as another option alongside "UberX." </li></ul>Uber is looking into the possibility of dispatching New York City's famous yellow cabs from its app, in addition to its usual private hire options.A September <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/elobbyist_search/pdf/CPR466263.pdf">city lobbying disclosure</a> lists Uber executive Josh Gold as having a discussion with Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) chief Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk on "the potential for a yellow taxi dispatch." There are no further details given.Per <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/06/uber-exploring-dispatching-yellow-cabs/">The New York Post</a>, <keyword id="12484068" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uber-app" source="Orion">Uber app</keyword> users could potentially see yellow cabs as another option alongside "UberX," facilitated through the TLC's <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/tlc/businesses/e-hail-providers.page">"E-Hail"</a> program. "As a regulatory agency, the TLC meets frequently with all its Licensees to discuss ideas, individually and including during our monthly Taxi Working Group convening," a TLC spokesperson told The Post. Uber and TLC did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Whether New York's cab drivers feel any appetite to pair up with Uber remains to be seen, given they felt <a href="https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/uber-making-york-city-cab-190942773.html">the app decimated their business</a> in its first few years of operation. It also comes at a time when ride-hailing apps struggle with a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-uber-lyft-expensive-taking-long-driver-shortage-2021-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">depleting labor pool fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. "I think they want to replace their volume," New York Taxi Workers Alliance leader Bhairavi Desai told The Post. "Especially in a moment when a lot of the drivers are not going back."Industries in all corners of the US economy, from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/construction-industry-needs-staggering-22m-more-workers-2021-11?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">construction</a> to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arkansas-restaurant-owner-pays-teen-employees-homework-labor-shortage-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">hospitality</a>, have been hit hard by a crippling <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/massachusetts-restaurant-lafrance-hospitality-manager-labor-shortage-kitchen-staff-2021-10?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">labor shortage</a>. Insider had conversations with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-uber-lyft-expensive-taking-long-driver-shortage-2021-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">22 current and former Uber and Lyft drivers</a> across the US who revealed the reasons for not wanting to return to the apps. Some drivers said they're simply waiting for more of the public to get vaccinated while others said they're holding out for better pay. But as cities get moving again, demand for cabs is growing. This, combined with the shortage, <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/06/new-yorkers-cant-get-taxis-amid-shortage-uber-price-hikes/">has led to price hikes</a>. In April, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-spending-250-million-driver-pay-pandemic-shortage-2021-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Uber spent $250 million</a> on "boosted incentives and guarantees" to persuade drivers to get back on the road, Insider reported. <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211104006166/en/Uber-Announces-Results-for-Third-Quarter-2021">In its third-quarter financial report</a> released this week, Uber reported a $2.4 billion loss, mainly thanks to its investment in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi. However, its earnings were otherwise fairly positive, with the firm reporting a 72% jump in revenue to $4.8 billion."Our early and decisive investments in driver growth are still paying dividends, with drivers steadily returning to the platform, leading to further improvement in the consumer experience," said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi at the time."It is not yet known whether Uber would get a cut of <keyword id="12319376" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="taxi-cab" source="Orion">taxi cab</keyword> rides it dispatches, but according to Desai, the company's usual 25% commission would not work given the costs that come with operating a traditional taxi.

Uber is looking at dispatching New York's yellow cabs from its app amid a driver shortage

<ul><li>Indian ride-hailing unicorn Ola has expanded its operations in the UK. </li><li>Ola is now present in 7 cities in the UK. </li><li>The company is not launching auto-rickshaws in the UK, had only used them in Liverpool for a promotional campaign last week.</li></ul>Indian cab aggregator Ola has expanded its operations in the United Kingdom and has launched services in three new cities in the UK – Liverpool, Birmingham and Reading. This takes Ola’s presence to a total of seven cities in the UK. Local councils in the UK have granted the platform with Taxi and Private Hire licenses. The company said that Ola is the only app in the UK that offers both black cabs and Private Hire Vehicles while also giving drivers highest share of the revenue – charging just 10% commission to black cabs and 15% to PHVs. “Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth from both driver-partners and passengers who experienced our offerings in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, and Exeter, we received requests from users across the UK to introduce the Ola platform in their cities,” said Ben Legg, Managing Director of <keyword id="6775956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-UK">Ola UK</keyword>. Photos of Ola’s tuk tuks spotted Liverpool had become a talking point in social media. However, the company said that it has not launched auto rickshaws in the UK. The auto rickshaws were a part of the promotional campaign where it offered customers free rides on green tuk-tuks last week. Over the next seven months, Ola plans to expand its operations to North England and the Midlands. The Indian ride-hailing unicorn had already made its presence felt in Australia and New Zealand before moving to the European markets. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-will-race-zoomcar-in-self-drive-car-rentals-with-a-500-million-bet/articleshow/68614269.cms">Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-takes-on-mahindra-glyd-with-fresh-funds-wheres-uber/articleshow/68214440.cms">Ola gets fresh funds to take on Mahindra’s Glyd – where’s Uber?</a>

Ola onboards 3 more cities in the UK, uses tuk-tuks only for promotion

<ul><li>Ola and Uber asked to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing.</li><li>Order came after CCPA received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices.</li><li>According to a survey by LocalCircles, 71% of customers continue to face ride cancellation issues.</li></ul>As thousands of commuters find themselves at the mercy of Uber and Ola drivers via ride cancellations, cancellation charges, random surge pricing and long waiting times, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was set to grill cab aggregators over their algorithms on Tuesday. The regulator, under its Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, was set to ask cab-hailing platforms to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing, along with questioning them over other issues. The CCPA has received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices, such as cab drivers forcing riders to cancel trips that result in the customers paying the cancellation charge. The authority is of the view that old customers are being charged exorbitant rates while new riders are being wooed by low fares for the same distance. Despite the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, 71 per cent customers say that ride cancellation issues by drivers continue, according to a survey by community-based social media platform LocalCircles last month. Over 45 per cent of app-based taxi consumers stated they were charged more than 1.5 times in surge pricing despite the threshold being set by the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020. The extortionist practices of some drivers to undertake private trips were reported by consumers as a major concern, the report said. As thousands of Indian riders continue to suffer from paying cancellation fees sans their faults, the ride-hailing major in Australia admitted that it made false or misleading statements in cancellation warning messages and taxi fare estimates, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Uber now faces $26 million (Australian dollars) in penalties for adopting those illegal practices. More than two million Australian consumers were shown the misleading cancellation warning. Envisioned to lessen the travel woes, cab-hailing platforms like Uber and Ola have come a long distance in India, but riders are increasingly facing more issues. Most of the time, Uber and Ola drivers ask the riders to reveal what fare the Uber app is showing, and then decide if they want to take the ride or not depending on the amount and if it is in cash, forcing the riders to cancel the ride. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/10-things-in-tech-its-about-to-get-ugly/articleshow/91440115.cms">10 Things in Tech: It's about to get ugly</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meditation-app-calm-launched-a-contest-to-find-tiktoks-smoothest-voice-the-winner-will-be-paid-5000-to-narrate-a-story/articleshow/91441165.cms">Meditation app Calm launched a contest to find TikTok's 'smoothest voice' – the winner will be paid $5,000 to narrate a story</a>

Indian regulator to grill Ola and Uber over rising customer complaints

<ul><li>The feature has been rolled out to all <keyword id="6354720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola">Ola</keyword> users across India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in a bid to help the company's over 2.5 million global driver community, Ola said, adding that the drivers will retain 100 per cent of the tip.</li><li>The cashless tipping feature will appear in the final step of the payment phase and will allow customers to select a fixed or customised amount that will translate to higher earning potential for these drivers.</li></ul> Ride-hailing major Ola on Tuesday rolled out new cashless 'tipping functionality that enables customers to voluntarily reward drivers for going the extra mile to deliver a safe ride experience amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The feature has been rolled out to all Ola users across India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in a bid to help the company's over 2.5 million global driver community, Ola said, adding that the drivers will retain 100 per cent of the tip. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, our driver-partners worked tirelessly to enable essential travel for all those in need, despite facing their own challenges," Ola spokesperson <keyword id="1030402" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anand-Subramanian">Anand Subramanian</keyword> said in a statement. "As services resume, they continue to personally invest in ensuring the safety of their customers and deliver a comfortable ride experience. Linking rewards to higher-quality services, we invite our customers to join us in sharing our appreciation and supporting them during these trying times." Starting Tuesday, the cashless tipping feature will appear in the final step of the payment phase and will allow customers to select a fixed or customised amount that will translate to higher earning potential for these drivers. Driving awareness around this, Ola has also launched a social media campaign, #SayThanksWithATip, which seeks to recognise and reward those drivers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a great ride experience while drawing a spotlight on their efforts.

Ola introduces in-app 'tipping' facility globally

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dennis Dinkel, 75, drove for Uber and Lyft for four years in California and Arkansas.</li><li>He said that tipping was hit or miss and that most riders didn't tip at all.</li></ul>Dennis Dinkel hoped the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tip-delivery-drivers-responses-uber-doordash-lyft-2023-4#drivers-shouldnt-expect-the-same-tips-as-restaurant-workers-1">gig economy</a> would help him supplement his Social Security income. But the 75-year-old said the tips — or the lack thereof — were disappointing.He told Insider it's among the reasons he quit and had no plans to return after driving roughly 20 hours a week for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-uber-driver-shares-8-worst-parts-of-their-job-2022-6">Uber and Lyft</a> in the California Bay Area and Arkansas.He said tipping was hit or miss and that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-tipping-trends-getting-worse-taylor-swift-riders-best-2023-4">majority of riders didn't tip</a>. Dinkel said he's no longer able to access his ride-hailing accounts because of inactivity but provided Insider a document to verify that he worked in the gig economy.When he tried delivering food for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-eats-grubhub-doordash-sue-new-york-city-restaurant-fees-2021-9">Uber Eats</a>, he said the pay wasn't worth the time and hassle of traffic. "I finally got it delivered, and the customer said, 'I'll tip you on the app.' Uber paid me about $7 — and the customer left no tip. I never drove for food delivery for Uber Eats after that," he said.Dinkel isn't the only gig worker who's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-tipping-trends-getting-worse-taylor-swift-riders-best-2023-4">found tipping to be sparse</a>.On a recent weekday, for example, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-tipping-trends-getting-worse-taylor-swift-riders-best-2023-4">full-time Dallas Uber driver</a> drove just over three hours for Uber Eats and made five deliveries, according to documents viewed by Insider. The driver spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid professional repercussions.He earned roughly $20 in total — $12 from the <a href="https://uberpeople.net/threads/whats-the-base-fare-for-eats.393885/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">base fare</a> and about $8 in tips he received on three of the five deliveries. While the tips may look generous as a percentage of the base fare, that base fare is just roughly $4 an hour.Delivery drivers say tips have been getting smaller since the beginning of the pandemic, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/uber-eats-door-dash-delivery-tips.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in a story that received over 3,800 comments in the first 48 hours after publication. Some commenters said drivers shouldn't expect the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tipping-debate-trends-delivery-driver-ubereats-doordash-arguments-nyt-article-2023-4">same tips as the waitstaff at restaurants</a>, while others said they shouldn't be responsible for paying these workers a living wage. Insider spoke with several ride-hailing and delivery drivers, each of whom <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tip-delivery-drivers-responses-uber-doordash-lyft-2023-4">pushed back on many of the arguments</a> made by the commenters on the Times story. But many drivers added that they understood why customers tipped the way they did and argued the companies behind these gig apps had contributed to a culture of bad tipping.Drivers pointed to three factors — a lack of knowledge about driver pay, rising fare prices, and entrenched customer habits — each of which they said were causing customers to tip less and could be traced to decisions made by these companies.Alix Anfang, an Uber spokesperson, told Insider that tipping had increased since 2020."On the rides side, tipping frequency and the average tip on a trip roughly doubled over the last two years," Anfang said. "Food delivery has always had a high tipping rate, but the average tip on a delivery increased even further by about 20%."In recent years, Anfang said Uber has taken steps to encourage higher tips, including allowing riders to tip during a trip — in addition to after — and moving the tip selection prompt up in the app, as well as reminding riders of inclement weather to encourage higher tips.Lyft did not respond to a request for comment.<h2>Drivers say riders don't understand how much of the workers' income comes from tips</h2>The debate over how much riders should tip has one major flaw, Dinkel said: "People who use ride-share delivery are under the mistaken impression that the company pays drivers a livable wage."While Uber, for instance, has said that some of its drivers earn as much as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-drivers-us-cities-making-more-than-40-dollars-per-hour-2021-5">$40 an hour</a> before expenses like gas, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lyft-driver-pay-studies-disparity-2020-7">many drivers</a> have said they earn <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lyft-driver-how-much-money-2019-10">much less than that</a>."One reason I think passengers didn't tip was because they figured, 'I paid $25 for this ride, and the driver is probably getting $20 of that fee,'" Dinkel added. "Uber and Lyft should educate their passengers that the driver barely makes enough to pay for gas and that the drivers deserve to be tipped."An Uber or Lyft rider can't see how much of their payment <a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/01/31/colorado-transparency-uber-lyft-driver-pay/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is going to the driver</a>. If they knew the real number, Dinkel said, some customers might be more inclined to give a more generous tip — which most gig workers are able to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/which-delivery-app-lets-workers-keep-their-tips-2019-7#grubhub-4">keep 100% of</a>.In January, three <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2023/01/31/uber-lyft-colorado-legislation-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Democrats</a> introduced a bill that would require ride-hailing and delivery apps like Uber and Lyft to show customers how much of their payment goes to the driver and how much the company takes.The average percentage Uber takes from ride or delivery fares rose from 20.1% to 27.8% for ride-hailing in the fourth quarter of last year compared with the prior year, according to the company's <a href="https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2023/Uber-Announces-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2022/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarterly earnings report</a>. The Uber Eats take rate rose from 18% to 20.5%. Uber has <a href="https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/uber-concerned-about-proposed-colorado-bill-regarding-driver-terminations#:~:text=Senate%20Bill%2023%2D098%20would,driver%20termination%20and%20rehiring%20procedure.">voiced opposition</a> to the Colorado bill.Marcelo, a 61-year-old Uber Eats and DoorDash driver in Corpus Christi, Texas, said: "If people think that tips are supplements, they can certainly conclude that they can eliminate them, but unfortunately, tips are not supplements."Chris, a 28-year-old Uber Eats driver in upstate New York, said: "Uber has successfully convinced customers that drivers get paid way more than we do."The two drivers' last names are known to Insider but were withheld to protect their privacy.<h2>Ride-hailing apps have raised prices, making riders less inclined to add a tip</h2>Ride-hailing companies have taken some steps to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-charging-higher-prices-in-major-metro-area-gas-prices-2022-6">raise prices</a> over the <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/uber-lyft-prices-come-down-172309416.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">past few years</a> to <a href="https://slate.com/business/2022/05/uber-subsidy-lyft-cheap-rides.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase profitability</a> and help drivers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-adds-surchage-as-gas-prices-soar-russia-ukraine-2022-3">offset elevated gas prices</a>.While the number of Uber rides and delivery trips rose by 20% from fiscal year 2021 to 2022, <a href="https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2023/Uber-Announces-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2022/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the company reported</a>, its gross bookings — the total value of fares and deliveries excluding tips — rose 28%.The Uber spokesperson said government-imposed fees had been influencing prices. In April 2022, for instance, these fees accounted for over 18% of riders' payments, Anfang said.Sergio Avedian, a 55-year-old <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-drivers-worst-passengers-rude-no-tip-stop-drive-thru-2023-3" rel="">Uber</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-is-accepting-cash-for-deliveries-made-on-doordash-drive-2023-3" rel="">DoorDash</a> driver in the Los Angeles area, said fare increases were making some riders <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tip-delivery-drivers-responses-uber-doordash-lyft-2023-4#drivers-shouldnt-expect-the-same-tips-as-restaurant-workers-1">more resistant to tipping</a>."I feel like the consumer goes, 'OK, gosh, I just took a 5-mile trip, cost me $25 on Uber or Lyft. I really don't have room to tip this poor guy,'" he told Insider. "In the old days, we used to get tipped more because the trips were so cheap and people would throw $5 or whatever."Drivers also said some of customers' poor tipping habits could be linked to decisions Uber made several years ago. In-app tipping wasn't even an option for Uber riders until 2017, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/06/20/uber-rolls-out-in-app-tipping-for-drivers/?utm_term=.ba0495e91a0f">roughly five years</a> after Lyft rolled out the feature. Uber's <a href="https://fortune.com/2017/04/18/uber-tipping-nyc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former CEO Travis Kalanick</a>, Fortune reported in 2017, was resistant to adding a tipping feature because he thought it would add friction to the in-app user experience and didn't want riders to feel guilty for not tipping. "Consumers have been trained, basically, not to tip when it comes to ride-share," Avedian said.Ultimately, Dinkel said he believed "tips" stood for "to insure prompt service." Given a service is being provided, he said every passenger should tip their driver. He said he always tipped at least 20% whenever he took an Uber, Lyft, or cab. "If a rider wants service, they should tip for it," he said, adding: "Do you tip a cab driver? And do you tip a waiter who takes a food order?"Are you a gig worker willing to share your story about pay, schedule, and tipping? If so, reach out to this reporter at <a href="mailto:jzinkula@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">jzinkula@insider.com</a>.

Uber and Lyft drivers share 3 reasons why the ride-hailing giants, not customers, are partially responsible for the bad tips they get

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two ex-Uber drivers won a huge <keyword id="6385816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="legal-battle">legal battle</keyword> against the <keyword id="44434" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="taxi">taxi</keyword> app firm over workers' rights.</li><li>Yaseen Aslam and James Farrar began the case in 2016, fighting for minimum wage and other rights.</li><li>Farrar said <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> is being defiant about the ruling but hopes it'll come to accept it.</li></ul>Five years after they took Uber to court, two ex-drivers on Friday <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-lost-uk-legal-battle-court-worker-rights-employment-2021-2">won a legal battle</a> against the ride-hailing firm.Yaseen Aslam and James Farrar were part of a small group of drivers who brought the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-uber-drivers-entitled-to-minimum-wage-holiday-pay-lodon-tribunal-rules-2016-10?r=UK">original case against Uber</a> in 2015. Aslam and his colleague Farrar, president and general secretary of the <a href="https://www.adcu.org.uk/about-us">App Drivers and Couriers Union</a> (ADCU) respectively, claimed Uber was breaking <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> employment law by failing to offer basic worker rights, such as holiday pay and national minimum wage. They won the case.Uber disputed the claims, saying it acted like other traditional minicab firms and counted its drivers as self-employed contractors. At the time, this meant drivers had minimal protections, including no sick pay and Uber could avoid the costs of paying minimum wage. In 2017, Uber <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-lawyer-tells-judge-it-should-be-treated-like-other-minicab-firms-2017-9?r=UK">appealed the original ruling</a> and lost.Uber <a href="https://www.businessinsider.sg/uber-drivers-supreme-court-2017-11/?_ga=2.258676674.935582326.1613981470-2037495129.1604498062">then appealed the case in the UK's Supreme Court</a> and the process dragged on into February 2021. Again, the company lost, marking the end of its legal road. The outcome could threaten Uber's business model in the UK - one of its biggest markets - if it is forced to cough up back pay for thousands of drivers who may bring cases, and if it must pay higher taxes.The dispute will go back to an employment tribunal, which will decide how much the 25 drivers who brought the case five years ago will be awarded. Aslam believes he's entitled to between £10,000 and £12,000."I was delighted," he told Insider. "It means a lot. I didn't just do it for myself, I did it for the workers and drivers. I'm just a driver who spoke up for injustice."Aslam, who is based in the UK, worked for Uber between 2013 and 2017. Once, during his time at the company, he says Uber "deactivated" him for organizing a campaign against the company's treatment of drivers. This meant the company didn't allow him to access the app to pick up passengers, he said. "I'm not anti-Uber and I'm not there to shut Uber down. But the law is there for a reason," he added. Uber did not respond when Insider asked it to comment on Aslam's claims of deactivation.<h3>Uber's business model </h3>When Aslam first started working at Uber, he said it was good. He earned £50 an hour, got a £10 bonus for each ride, and the fares were higher. Plus, the company "put the drivers first."As he continued working for the company, however, the fares got cheaper and the bonuses stopped, he says. After the launch of UberPool, a service launched in 2015 that allows people to split ride costs with another person who is travelling in the same direction, drivers were earning even less, according to Aslam.Back in 2016, <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2016/07/28/technology/uber-uberpool-timeouts/">CNN also reported</a> that drivers said UberPool meant more work, but not necessarily more pay. Aslam said drivers have realised that Uber is "hiding behind <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> to control workers."According to Aslam, Uber's business model involves mass recruiting and flooding the streets with drivers and cars, while keeping fares cheap to attract customers. This has long been a criticism of Uber and its business model - that the firm, initially funded by huge amounts of private capital, could afford to keep cab fares artificially low at the expense of drivers and the competition.Although Aslam thinks businesses such as Uber should exist, he said they "rely on exploiting people and they go for a mass scaling model and I think it's wrong." He believes the customer should take some responsibility in the pricing as there's a human cost involved: "There's someone behind that wheel and they need to have rights."<h3>The case still isn't over</h3>"The devil is in the details now," Farrar told Insider. He said Uber is being defiant about committing to implement the ruling.After the recent ruling, Uber was quick to point out that it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-supreme-court-defeat-drivers-gig-econony-regulation-disruption-2021-2">only applied to the group of 25 drivers</a> who brought the case in 2016. It also said the ruling was specific to how Uber's business operated when the drivers initially filed a lawsuit, and that the business has since changed."Uber is trying to spin a line to drivers that this ruling only applies to the original claimants and not to all drivers," said Farrar, who worked for Uber between 2015 and 2016. "Not only is it untrue but it's demonstrably contrary to the spirit of the ruling."He hopes Uber is just going through "a stage of emotional grief and denial" and that it will accept the ruling. But if not, he said the government and regulator Transport for London (TfL) needs to step in. <h3>Claims against Uber are already piling up</h3>If the government doesn't enforce the law and TfL doesn't step in, Farrar said he and other drivers would have to "pile up litigation" against Uber.Indeed, thousands of claimants are already making claims against the firm. Nigel Mackay, a partner at Leigh Day Solicitors, said his company currently has 3,500 clients with claims against Uber.Farrar, who formed an organization called <a href="https://workerinfoexchange.org/">Worker Info Exchange</a> to help app workers like <keyword id="6364641" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber-drivers">Uber drivers</keyword> access their data from companies they work for, said these types of claims could become extremely expensive for the taxi app company. He believes there'll be a cottage industry of lawyers making continuous claims against Uber "because it's an easy win."He added: "It's embarrassing that the poorest people on minimum wage have to go to the Supreme Court against one of the most powerful companies on Earth."Although Uber did not respond to Insider's request for comment, the company sent a press release shortly after the ruling, featuring a statement from Jamie Heywood, Uber's regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe.It said: "We respect the court's decision which focussed on a small number of drivers who used the <keyword id="1999454" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uber-app">Uber app</keyword> in 2016. Since then we have made some significant changes to our business, guided by drivers every step of the way. These include giving even more control over how they earn and providing new protections like free insurance in case of sickness or injury. We are committed to doing more and will now consult with every active driver across the UK to understand the changes they want to see."

Meet the Uber drivers who spent 5 years fighting the ride-hailing firm for basic workers' rights - and won

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York's first <keyword id="2470415" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tesla-model-3">Tesla Model 3</keyword> taxi — the only battery-powered yellow cab in the city — just hit the streets. </li><li>The cab, operated by a company called Drive Sally, completed more than 100 trips in its first full weekend of service. </li><li>Instead of running the taxi 24 hours per day like its other cars, Drive Sally brings the Model 3 in to charge it overnight. </li><li>One of the first problems drivers reported was that passengers had trouble getting in and out of the vehicle due to <keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword>'s unusual door handles. </li></ul>One year after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-3-approved-for-new-york-city-taxicab-service-2019-11">New York approved the Tesla Model 3</a> to enter its fleet of yellow cabs, the first one has hit the streets. A Model 3 with medallion number 8P86 — the only electric taxicab in the city, according to <a href="https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Transportation/Medallion-Vehicles-Authorized/rhe8-mgbb/data">public records</a> — just finished its first full weekend of service, completing more than 100 trips over the two-day period. The electric vehicle is owned by <a href="https://new.drivesally.com/#home">Drive Sally</a>, which operates a fleet of more than 1,000 cars that it leases out to cabbies and drivers for ride-hailing platforms in New York and Chicago. Last fall, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission added the Model 3 to its <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/tlc/businesses/yellow_cab_hackup.page">list of roughly 40 approved vehicles</a>. Although the list includes several hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and RAV4 Hybrid, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-3-vs-other-electric-cars-2020-4">the Model 3</a> is the only fully electric vehicle currently allowed to function as a yellow cab. The Model 3 first hit the road on October 30, and <a href="https://twitter.com/albertclee/status/1322672272423964674">users on Twitter</a> as well as electric-car blog <a href="https://electrek.co/2020/11/06/first-tesla-model-3-official-nyc-yellow-cab/">Electrek</a> spotted it soon after. Drive Sally pulled it for a few days to make some adjustments and, as of Monday, it has spent four days on the road with two different drivers at the wheel. <div type="image" title="Tesla Model 3 taxi" height="960" width="1280" msid="79139005" hostid="261"></div>The EV is still in somewhat of a trial phase, Adriel Gonzalez, Drive Sally's founder and COO, told Business Insider. Each time a driver comes back from their shift, Gonzalez interviews them to see what feedback, if any, they can give on piloting the city's first electric yellow cab. One of the first problems they encountered was that passengers had trouble getting into the car using Tesla's unusual door handles, which sit flush to the side of the car. But Gonzalez says they'll address that by adding a "push here" message. As is the case with most electric vehicles, range anxiety — or, the fear of draining the car's battery without a charging station nearby — is also a concern. Typically, Gonzalez said, cabs operate on a two-shift schedule, with drivers swapping out every 12 hours. But Drive Sally is running its new Model 3 one shift per day, allowing it time to charge the car at its garage overnight. <div type="image" title="Tesla Model 3 Taxi" height="960" width="1280" msid="79139011" hostid="261"></div>One driver couldn't handle the stress and brought the car back after depleting some 50 miles of the car's 220-mile range. Another had no problem draining the battery down to just five miles of range, Gonzalez said. He bets that in the long run, taxi and rideshare drivers will be willing to pay a bit extra for a car that doesn't need to be fueled up, given that gas is one of a driver's top expenses. Gonzalez thinks that Tesla <keyword id="144193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="taxis">taxis</keyword> could help reinvigorate the city's yellow-cab industry, which has taken a major hit from ride-hailing services like Uber, Via, and Lyft. He also predicts that the city could, for sustainability reasons, start mandating electric cabs, so he's looking to get ahead of the curve, even if the commercial charging infrastructure isn't quite there yet. Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-rank-tesla-waymo-other-self-driving-car-power-players-2020-6?r=tl-sub">Tesla has released 'full self-driving' in beta — here's how experts rank it, Waymo and 16 other power players in the world of self-driving cars</a>Drive Sally plans to bring hundreds of Teslas to New York's streets in the near future, but for now, the company is still working out the kinks. Gonzalez suspects that the EVs may be better suited for for-hire "black cars" than yellow cabs, and he also said that the more-spacious <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-y-seven-seater-elon-musk-production-november-2020-10">Model Y</a> would likely work better as a cab than the Model 3, but they're still too expensive. New York isn't the first city where passengers can hail a battery-powered taxi. Madison-based Green Cab <a href="https://madison.com/wsj/business/madison-green-cab-goes-electric-to-be-nations-first-all-tesla-cab-fleet/article_e2fcf41a-de92-5385-87fa-aa8114d844ce.html">converted its entire fleet</a> to Model 3s this year, and <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190730/columbus-yellow-cab-buys-10-teslas-joining-move-toward-greener-transportation">Columbus Yellow Cab</a> in Ohio bought ten of them in 2019. Amsterdam has had Tesla taxis since at least 2014.

The first Tesla taxi in NYC just hit the streets as the city's only electric yellow cab. The plan is for hundreds more to join it.

<keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword>’s ‘micro’ category, which was launched in seven cities two months ago, is now available in 75 cities as the cab-aggregator scaled up its operations to 48 new cities. 
 
With the new addition, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ola&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Ola</a> claims its ‘micro’ category has an edge over its nearest rival, hinting at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=uber&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uber</a>. 
 "In just under 7 weeks of its launch, <keyword id="3291107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-Micro">Ola Micro</keyword> alone as a category is larger than our nearest competitor as a whole," said Ola Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Categories Raghuvesh Sarup. 
 He based his claim on the number of daily rides with just Ola Micro as against its US-based rival <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>. 
 
READ MORE: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Exclusive-Taking-to-dusty-roads-the-current-face-of-Olas-expansion/articleshow/51810023.cms">Exclusive: Taking to dusty roads – the current face of Ola’s expansion</a> 
 
When contacted, an Uber spokesperson said: "We are excited to see the growth and momentum we have picked over the last few months, becoming the most popular ride-hailing app in India. It's all possible because of the product and technology that provides better value to our riders and drivers using our platform." 
 
She added: "Our focus remains firm on growing deeper into the cities we operate in and building an unmatched, consistent quality experience that Uber is known for, both in India and around the world." 
 
Meanwhile, Sarup claimed Ola Micro has taken the lead as the fastest growing category on its platform. 
 
The cities where Ola Micro just made inroads also include Patna, Aligarh, Amravati, Guntur, Jhansi, Mathura, Rourkela, Thanjavur, Ujjain, Hubli, Rajahmundry, Rajkot and Siliguri.

Ola’s ‘Micro’ category emerges as Uber’s biggest competition. Expands to 48 new cities

Ride-hailing major <keyword id="6354720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola">Ola</keyword> on Monday announced its strategic partnership with <keyword id="6357886" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="phonepe">PhonePe</keyword> to enhance its digital payments experience for its customers. Ola users can now access experience on the Ola app. Currently, the feature has been rolled out on Android and will be available on iOS soon. "As PhonePe continues to drive digital payment adoption across the country, we are excited to partner with them to drive this seismic change that will enable us to move a step closer to becoming a Digital India," Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson at Ola, said in a statement. This partnership will also enable PhonePe to offer their services to millions of customers on the Ola platform. "We are excited to partner with Ola, India's leading mobility services provider, to enable a seamless and convenient payment experience for our customers," added Ankit Gaur, Director, Business Development at PhonePe. As part of an introductory offer, customers can avail up to Rs 200 in cashback on the first two rides when paid using PhonePe, said Ola.

You Searched For "cab hailing apps" and got 11 results

Uber dismisses report that said it's planning to sell off its India business

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India’s antitrust watchdog rejects radio taxi Meru’s plea against Uber, says there is an 'ever-expanding pool of drivers' available

Kritti Bhalla

Uber is looking at dispatching New York's yellow cabs from its app amid a driver shortage

Zahra Tayeb

Ola onboards 3 more cities in the UK, uses tuk-tuks only for promotion

Sanchita Dash

Indian regulator to grill Ola and Uber over rising customer complaints

IANS

Ola introduces in-app 'tipping' facility globally

IANS

Uber and Lyft drivers share 3 reasons why the ride-hailing giants, not customers, are partially responsible for the bad tips they get

Jacob Zinkula

Meet the Uber drivers who spent 5 years fighting the ride-hailing firm for basic workers' rights - and won

Kate Duffy

The first Tesla taxi in NYC just hit the streets as the city's only electric yellow cab. The plan is for hundreds more to join it.

Tim Levin

Ola’s ‘Micro’ category emerges as Uber’s biggest competition. Expands to 48 new cities

BI India Bureau

You can now pay for your Ola rides using PhonePe

IANS

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