First, the taxis protested Uber. Now Uber drivers are protesting Uber.
Drivers, irate because their share of fares has been reduced, are organizing a sick-out on Monday. The demonstration will affect not just Merida, but cities across Mexico.
That the parent company takes most of the revenue coming in when drivers provide the labor, gas, insurance and the car itself, they complain.
So hailing a car might be tougher on Monday, depending on how many drivers take part. The strike is voluntary and would cost participants income, so it remains to be seen how much tougher it will be to get a ride.
Some drivers were afraid of participating in the protest, imagining that Uber could retaliate and banish them from the platform.
Drivers are also frustrated that coronavirus quarantines have reduced their income by 70%, so they are hustling just to pay commissions and costs.
The protest is being organized over Facebook and Twitter, with an increasing number of participants claiming they will join in, reports Sipse.
With the message “Lunes sin uber, unánse,” or “Monday without Uber, unite,” organizers urge the company to “pay what is fair.”
When Uber started in Merida, the platformed charged a 10% commission, but later changed to “dynamic rates” that shoot up to 30 to 48%, the anonymous organizers said. “The win-win principle” that motivated hundreds of people to enter Uber workforce has been lost, they said.
