Uber Drivers Take Part In Strike Action Across Aus This Morning

Uber customers may find it a bit harder to book a car on Monday August 6th with hundreds of drivers in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth expected to take part in strike action planned by the RideShare Drivers United group.

Workers will log off the app from 7am to 930am local time in a fight for better pay and conditions, with complaints they're being shortchanged by features like upfront pricing and UberPool.

"We're unhappy with Uber continually changing the terms of conditions in contracts without consulting drivers, secondly, they continue to cut our pay by introducing new features that make us work harder for less money," RSDU spokesperson Max B said.

"It's like more and more layers of exploitation. The latest is something they call "upfront pricing" where the price of the trip is based on an estimate, but this doesn't take into account any road closures or unexpected traffic conditions, you might be stuck in traffic for half an hour but the driver is not getting paid for it."

An Uber spokesperson told the Hit Network, "We want driver-partners to be successful when using the Uber app which is why we are investing in innovative technology to encourage more riders to choose the app, and proactively share information about when and where the best times to drive are. We also continue to work on improving the driver app in response to feedback from partners.

"We have a range of channels for driver-partners to engage with Uber and provide feedback including regular roundtables and focus groups, partner support centres around Australia, plus phone and 24/7 in-app support. We also share newsletters and regular podcasts providing information to driver-partners based on their feedback."