As the festive season draws closer you might be looking to get takeout rather than heading into a restaurant.
Unfortunately for Uber Eats users, the delivery service has been experiencing interruptions since Friday. The reason for this has less to do with technology and more to do with the human factor.
Since Friday Uber Eats delivery drivers have refused to work due to cuts in delivery fees.
“The strike is to show you the importance of driver partners, which over the years, you have seemed to forget. The strike is to prove to Uber Eats that driver partners are not illiterate individuals, but are paramount to the success of Uber Eats in South Africa and around the world,” read a memorandum sent to Uber Eats last week.
The core problem appears to be the fact that fees for drivers have lowered while service fees have ballooned. But drivers don’t simply want delivery fees to increase.
The memorandum sent to Uber Eats contains numerous proposed changes to the platform. These changes include a R20 minimum delivery fee for the first 2km and R6 per kilometre thereafter.
A suggestion that driver hubs be reopened so drivers can have face-to-face interaction is something that requires urgent action. The fact that drivers can’t meet with Uber to discuss problems is mightily concerning and would go a long to preventing disruptions to Uber’s service locally.
Speaking on behalf of drivers, Duane Bernard said that drivers are now awaiting a response from Uber Eats regarding their concerns. The firm has until Wednesday to respond.
The strike action is postponed and we will await Uber Eats response by Wednesday. Thanks to all who made it a success. @ewnupdates @eNCA @UberEats @Uber_Support @TheCitizen_News @POWER987News
— Duane Bernard (@duanee_bee) December 19, 2020
For now, we recommend ordering directly from restaurants where possible. Many restaurants offer kerb-side pickup, delivery or collection.
There’s no telling whether Uber Eats will respond to driver concerns by Wednesday or at all but given the amount of drivers on strike and the possibility this action will spread to other provinces, we hope to see a response soon.
