Saturday Sitdown: Uber UK boss Jamie Heywood on the recovery, workers’ rights and electric vehicles May 1, 2021 Jamie Heywood, Uber’s top man in the UK, Northern and Eastern Europe, has a spring in his step – at least, as much as you can see that on Zoom. Since the reopening of London’s bars and restaurants, with tables next to heaters prized like rare artefacts, Uber has seen rides spike upwards as Londoners [...]
Green light: Competition watchdog clears Uber’s Autocab takeover March 29, 2021 The competition watchdog has given the green light to Uber’s takeover of taxi tech firm Autocab, giving the ride-hailing giant a much-needed boost for its UK operations. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a phase one investigation into the merger in January to examine how the deal could harm the private hire vehicle market. [...]
Uber: What does the workers’ rights U-turn mean for the ride-hailing giant? March 17, 2021 Uber agreed yesterday to give its 70,000 UK drivers holiday pay and pensions following a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court. The court ruled that all UK drivers are employees of the taxi giant — rather than being self-employed — and are therefore eligible to receive holiday pay on a fortnightly basis. Susannah Streeter, senior [...]
Screenshot: Is Uber nearing the end of the road? February 26, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Boris’ career coaching **Is Uber nearing the end of the road? **Apple’s merger madness Media Moment of the Week: Boris’ career coaching Social media is a fickle beast, but if there’s one sure-fire way to generate outrage it’s to insult journalists. That’s what Boris Johnson did this week, [...]
Supreme Court set for long-awaited Uber employment rights judgement February 17, 2021 On Friday the Supreme Court will hand down its judgement as to whether Uber has been successful in its appeal against a ruling recognising its drivers as workers, not independent contractors. The long-running dispute, which has been bouncing through the courts since back in 2016, could have sizeable implications for the future of the gig [...]
Uber launches same-day parcel delivery service pilot February 11, 2021 Uber has today launched a new same-day delivery service which will allow users to have their parcels chaffeur-driven to their destination. The service, which is called Uber Connect, will cost the same as ordering a regular Uber X journey. An initial pilot of the programme will begin in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham. Jamie Heywood, regional [...]
Twitter, Uber and Disney: What to expect in the latest round of tech earnings February 9, 2021 Twitter, Uber and Disney will all be under the spotlight as they report fourth-quarter earnings this week. Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google (known as the FAANGs) all closed the year with bumper results as the tech titans continued to cash in on the pandemic. But it will be a more complicated picture for Twitter, [...]
Uber shares fizz on $1.1bn takeover of alcohol delivery firm Drizly February 2, 2021 Shares in Uber moved up a gear this afternoon after it announced a $1.1bn (£806m) deal to acquire alcohol delivery service Drizly. The deal, which is Uber’s biggest acquisition since it bought rival Postmates last year, will be paid more than 90 per cent through stock, with the remainder paid in cash. Once the transaction [...]
Watchdog opens competition probe into Uber’s Autocab takeover January 29, 2021 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into Uber’s planned takeover of taxi tech firm Autocab. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it had launched a probe and was inviting views on how the deal could impact the private hire vehicle market in the UK. Stockport-based Autocab sells booking and dispatch software to [...]
Uber offers money off trips to mass-vaccination centres January 18, 2021 Uber will cover up to £15 worth of passengers’ trips to seven mass-vaccination centres in England, including to the Nightingale hospital in London. Customers can book the service by entering the correct promotion code for the mass-vaccination hub they are travelling to in the app ahead of booking their journey. Uber has become the [...]
