Uber will be paying drivers up to $32 each hour between 6AM to 10AM on weekdays, and $27 hourly on weekday evenings from 5PM to 11PM. They’ll also receive minimum earnings on the weekends, though at different rates and timings.
Should a driver be unable to earn the minimum amount from fare takings alone, Uber will make up for the difference.
FiveStarsAndAMoon is unable to verify what this would amount to each month, but a quick punch of the buttons show that take-home pay could be about $4500-ish.
This benefit will require some effort from the driver. Drivers will have to stay online via the Uber app for at least 55 minutes each hour, accept most of the rides they’re offered, and complete at least one ride within the 60-minute period.
In short, this means guaranteed wages as long as you’re active. Industry watchers say Uber drivers will be out to take advantage of this scheme and that there will be a huge increase in the number of available drivers on the roads come peak hour.
No need for minimum mileage on the road (which has pissed some cabbies off), no need for fancy policy tweaking taxi rates. Just good ol’ technology and an understanding of what motivates drivers: money.
The National Taxi Association had been asking the taxi industry to harness this technology to the best of its potential, however apart from a feeble attempt at Comfort’s taxi location app…no real effort had been seen to be put into creating a robust taxi-passenger ecosystem by the taxi industry.
I personally hope that Uber gives serious competition to LTA, ComfortDelgro et al and get them to think more creatively about solving our transport problems.
Let’s face it the reasons for the LTA being unable to come up with effective solution is its very one-sided (its side) way of solving problem.
Taxi companies are only interested in making big bucks for themselves.
As to be expected, taxi drivers like all people would simply have to find ways to survive given the system.