Uber sets up second batch of driver members to join advisory council

System gives the 'much-deserved seat at the table', says ride hailing company

Uber and the Aapti Institute, a think tank, have set up a second cohort of driver partners who will be part of an advisory council at the ride-hailing firm.

These drivers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai would represent the interests of all colleagues using the Uber platform. “The Driver Advisory Council (DAC) was our sincere attempt to give gig workers a much-deserved seat at the table. Over the last one year, we have deepened our engagement with driver partners and now have a better understanding of issues they face,” said Shiva Shailendran, director - operations, Uber India, and South Asia.

 

“We will continue strengthening the Council further and stay committed to providing an open, accessible, and rewarding platform for driver-partners to make sustainable earnings. This is an ongoing process and the changes that happen may be big or small, but will impact driver partners positively,” he said.

The DAC, which has completed a year, provides driver partners a space to discuss issues and improve their experience with Uber. It is an initiative by Aapti Institute, a Bengaluru-based think tank that serves as a third-party Independent Review Board (IRB), in collaboration with Uber.

Sarayu Natarajan, founder of Aapti Institute, said gig workers’ participation in an independent third-party mediated forum introduces a robust and resilient alternative framework for the governance of platform work.

“Such an approach can unlock agency for the driver community by giving a seat at the table, for companies by involving gig workers, and for the society at large,” said Natarajan. “Participative dialogue can help generate insight on issues faced by drivers, to enable potential positive changes to regulations, as well as Uber’s policies and products.”

The DAC last year comprised 58 driver partners who were part of three in-person sessions and two online sessions, convened by Aapti between March 2022 and March 2023. Critical topics discussed during these meetings included earnings, product enhancements, social security, app experience, and safety.

Based on these sessions, and recommendations from Aapti Institute, Uber implemented several changes last year. As per Uber’s internal survey of 80,000 driver partners, 85 per cent of them believed that the changes had a positive impact on their driving experience and 92 per cent drivers wanted DAC to continue.

For instance, there is a reduction in driver cancellations. The DAC meetings helped Uber understand the issues faced by driver-partners that led them to cancel rides. Subsequently, Uber made the drop-off destination and mode of payment known upfront to driver partners prior to their acceptance of the trip requests. These changes helped driver partners make informed decisions and reduced trip cancellations.