How Much Do Glasgow Taxi Drivers Earn
How much does an Uber driver really earn per hour? Posted by Grant Georgiades on November 17, 2016. Following the GMB Union’s recent employment tribunal victory over Uber, working conditions at the American firm and their drivers’ wages are coming under increasing amounts of scrutiny. The case saw Uber accused of forcing their fleet of drivers to accept self-employed status. It was argued that the company dictates the terms of their drivers’ contracts and effectively employs some at below minimum wage whilst avoiding contributions that an employer should be responsible for.
Uber has fought back arguing that the vast majority of drivers prefer their self-employed status. The company’s defence also included the claim that their drivers earn on average £16/hour. This is after Uber deducts its fee of up to 25% from passenger fares – but it does exclude other overheads. The cost of which can be significant. James Farrar, one of the drivers who successfully lodged the complaint against Uber claimed in August 2015 that his average hourly earnings were £13.77. He also stated that net of expenses he cleared £5.03 an hour. Steve Garelick, of the GMB union, supports his claim, The £16/hour figure is hog wash.
How Much Do Glasgow Taxi Drivers Earn
If everyone was on that we’d all be clambering after Uber’s business. His accusations have been backed up online by the blog which documents the real life of an Uber driver working in London. According to the blogger’s experience of using the app a driver would be lucky to earn £16 per hour even before Uber’s commission of up to £4 is paid away, I make somewhere between £10 to £15 pounds per hour. Definitely not more than that.
Another private hire driver, who wishes to remain anonymous told us that, I’ve stopped working from Uber and gone back to my old base office. The driver explained that in his mind the £16 figure was grossly inflated.
How Much Does A Glasgow Taxi Driver Earn
His reasoning was that Uber do not cover the time and cost involved with reaching a passenger. Also in central London he explained that it is very difficult to collect passengers both safely and without infringing road traffic rules. The distraction of arranging a meeting spot with a customer in an unfamiliar area would occasionally result in collisions with other road users and often led to fines for entering bus lanes, waiting at bus stops and on red routes. Typical fines for such offences range from between £70 and upwards to £130.
Just one fine could reduce a driver’s weekly wage by the equivalent of over a £1 an hour. However the ex Uber driver we spoke to said it was not uncommon for new inexperienced users of the app to incur multiple fines in the space of a week.
Can passengers take an Uber ride with a clear conscience? With the help of some informed estimates we have attempted to answer the question – Can passengers travelling in a Uber vehicle do so with confidence that their driver is earning above the minimum wage? We’ve predicted an imaginary Uber driver’s actual income once costs such as: vehicle hire, maintenance, petrol, valeting and insurance etc are taken into account. Read more: Read more: Our case study is fictional but based on a typical scenario in which a 30 year old drives a rented 3 year old Toyota Prius, with no previous private hire experience and operates in the London area.
In the first calculation we have taken Uber at their word and used their £16/ hour pre-expenses earnings figure. In our second calculation we have used the figure of £13.77 per hour stated stated by James Farrar in his employment tribuna. In the third calculation we have estimated our drivers’ hourly wage based on the average sum put forward by the Uber Driver London blog. In their induction manual Uber based their earning projections for drivers on a 55-65 hour week.
So we have used 60 hours as the weekly total. We are aware that many drivers may work in excess of this hourly total.
However for the purposes of the exercise we have used their estimate.
Taxi drivers transport passengers to requested locations via taxi, generally within a defined area of service. For most positions, drivers use company cabs, though there are some services that require the taxi driver to use their personal car. These professionals must have excellent verbal communication skills, as they must interact with passengers, make conversation, and comprehend their directions. The taxi driver also must be proficient in arithmetic, as counting change for passengers is an important part of the job. The taxi driver must keep the car clean and may need some mechanical experience, as pre-driving inspections might be necessary. Taxi drivers generally pay a percentage of fares to their taxi company and earn tips that depend on how many passengers they serve.
They may work part time or full time during a wide variety of shifts; some positions are flexible, while others require the taxi driver to work a certain shift. Taxi drivers must have a driver's license, and some positions require the taxi driver to possess a taxi driver certification. A high school diploma or equivalent is usually needed as well. Generally, taxi drivers must have a clean criminal background and a clean driving record, with no DUIs in recent years. They must be able to safely operate their vehicle in a variety of traffic and weather conditions as well. (Copyright 2018 PayScale.com) Taxi Driver Tasks. Drive to and from locations to pick up and deliver clients.
Collect and document payments and make change. Maintain vehicle, including communication equipment. Communicate with central base about clients, routes, and schedule. Pay by Experience for a Taxi Driver has a negative trend. An entry-level Taxi Driver with less than 5 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of ₤18,000 based on 77 salaries provided by anonymous users.
Average total compensation includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay. A Taxi Driver with mid-career experience which includes employees with 5 to 10 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of ₤23,000 based on 25 salaries. An experienced Taxi Driver which includes employees with 10 to 20 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of ₤21,000 based on 24 salaries.
A Taxi Driver with late-career experience which includes employees with greater than 20 years of experience can expect to earn an average total compensation of ₤14,000 based on 5 salaries.