Uber drivers in Brussels to continue boycott

Uber drivers in Brussels have decided to continue their boycott next week after an organised mass disconnection last Friday, the CSC United Freelancers union announced on Saturday.

The boycott, which aims to raise awareness of the drivers' working conditions and demand substantial improvements from the company, will take place between 07.00 and 10.00 and 17.00 and 19.00 on weekdays and between 21.00 and 03.00 on weekends.

The union has chosen these times to maximise the impact of the strike while respecting the needs of users outside of these high-demand periods. At the same time, CSC United Freelancers is urging users to support the protest by choosing alternative transport options during these times.

Unnecessary competition

Uber drivers organised a first boycott between 08:00 and 12:00 on Friday. Drivers are protesting the introduction of a new system, TripRadar, which they say creates unnecessary competition by assigning multiple drivers to a single job and increasing the company's commission.

Uber responded by reaffirming its commitment to ongoing improvements to the app that will enable drivers to access more potential trips and generate more revenue. While confirming the introduction of various app changes, Uber clarified that these were based on driver feedback.

In addition, the company revealed that they are testing variable commission rates but confirmed that they are not increasing the average platform commission, maintaining an average rate of 25 per cent in Brussels.

^{Taxi drivers gather in front of the Brussels regional parliament to protest in 2021 © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT}