10 signatures reached
To: Transport for London
Protects drivers’ rights and public safety
We believe that TfL rules should apply to all private hire firms, whether they be small companies or the £70 billion San Fransisco transport giant Uber operating in the UK. No one company should be above the law or able to bypass licensing requirements particularly when public safety is involved. TfL made the decision based on information including reports from the police.
Why is this important?
72% of Londoners believe that TfL should require Uber to guarantee safeguards such as the minimum wage and paid holidays for their drivers, according to a poll of adults in London conducted by YouGov on behalf of SumOfUs.
We dispute the claim by Uber perpetuated by some media outlets that the removal of Uber's license will put 40,000 people out of work because Uber treat their drivers as self employed. Over 260,000 drivers were in work before Uber and they remain in work without Uber. Many drivers for Uber also work for other PHV companies already and there are companies actively recruiting for workers currently.
Because the majority of drivers who work for Uber are self employed they largely do not have to charge VAT which means they can charge 20% less than companies who do pay VAT allowing them to appear cheaper than other drivers. Uber avoids having to charge British value added tax on its booking fees by treating each driver as an individual business and then billing drivers across EU borders from its Dutch subsidiary, using an EU VAT provision called the “reverse charge”.
Paying VAT on Uber’s fees would cost the company about 1,000 pounds a year on average for each of its UK drivers, based on information Uber has given about the size of its British business.
SumOfUs members added voice to the vast majority of Londoners, who say TfL shouldn’t let Uber continue running roughshod over drivers’ rights.
We dispute the claim by Uber perpetuated by some media outlets that the removal of Uber's license will put 40,000 people out of work because Uber treat their drivers as self employed. Over 260,000 drivers were in work before Uber and they remain in work without Uber. Many drivers for Uber also work for other PHV companies already and there are companies actively recruiting for workers currently.
Because the majority of drivers who work for Uber are self employed they largely do not have to charge VAT which means they can charge 20% less than companies who do pay VAT allowing them to appear cheaper than other drivers. Uber avoids having to charge British value added tax on its booking fees by treating each driver as an individual business and then billing drivers across EU borders from its Dutch subsidiary, using an EU VAT provision called the “reverse charge”.
Paying VAT on Uber’s fees would cost the company about 1,000 pounds a year on average for each of its UK drivers, based on information Uber has given about the size of its British business.
SumOfUs members added voice to the vast majority of Londoners, who say TfL shouldn’t let Uber continue running roughshod over drivers’ rights.
