News Exercise #111

This video is a bit long, so I have shown timers to help you find the material
1) What is the position of the drivers compared with that of the company concerning their business relationship? (See 3:11

2) Uber has avoided some legal problems by changing some vocabulary in their contracts. What do they use instead of “partner/driver” and “sacked” (which means “fired”)? (see 4:09)

3) What are the good points of being an Uber driver, according to the drivers?

4) What different income figures do we hear from a driver and the the Uber manager? (See 2:34 and 5:53)

5) Why is it becoming harder for them to make a living? (see 2:14)

Answers:
1) The drivers say they work for Uber, and so should get workers’ rights. Uber says they are self-empolyed.
2) Drivers are “customers” and “sacked” is “deactivated”.
3) They can work whenever they want. The money goes directly into their bank accounts.
4) The driver says “Five oh three an hour”, meaning five pounds and thee pence (£5.03) per hour. The Uber manager says ten or twelve pounds an hour.
5) The number of Uber drivers has increased dramatically.
Uber has cut the fares
Uber will increase their commission