Uber Eats driver locked out of livelihood for using a different car

Friday, 26 March 2021

Uber Eats driver Gursharan Singh believes he was unfairly let go after using a car that had its registration pending under the app.

A Waikato Uber Eats driver is calling on the tech giant to back its workers better after he was locked out of his account and livelihood with no recourse after one instance where he drove a different car to the one he said he’d be using.

Hamilton resident Gursharan Singh had been working for Uber Eats for over two years delivering more than 3,000 food orders to people around the region.

On Friday, his 96 percent success rating, however, came to an end when he received a message from Uber saying his staff account had been permanently suspended after one complaint.

Now jobless, Singh feels he’s being reprehended without an opportunity to dispute it.

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To drive using the Uber app, the company requires documentation demonstrating a person and their vehicle meet minimum requirements, such as having a roadworthy vehicle.

Singh’s problem first arose two weeks ago when he used his second car for two days whilst the car he had registered with Uber was getting new tyres.

Gursharan Singh said Uber used to have a number for drivers to call, but now everything is done through the app making it impersonal.

“My first car is registered with Uber, but that week I had a problem with that car, so while I was waiting for that car to be fixed I used my other spare car to deliver the food, so I could continue to pay my bills and support my family in India,” Singh said.

“Usually when I deliver food I park up and go to the customer's door, so I thought it would be fine.”

A customer noticed he wasn’t using the same car mentioned in his profile and notified Uber.

Unaware of this complaint, Singh went back to using his registered car after it was fixed.

“When we receive complaints Uber doesn’t normally share them with us, so we are unaware,” said Singh.

“They also don’t have a staff support contact number, so we can call and talk to someone. It’s just all on the app.”

A week later, he received a message from Uber informing him of the complaint and advising him to register his other vehicle as soon as possible.

Singh said he had tried several times in the past to register his other car with no success, but tried again.

“I tried to upload my second vehicle again and my second vehicle application stayed pending for a week. They didn’t accept it.”

Singh then received a notification from Uber saying his account had been temporarily suspended due to his inaction and was under investigation.

Two days later it was permanently suspended.

“We have looked into this matter further and as a result of our review, we will be ending our partnership with you effective of this email,” the message said.

It said this was “not a swift decision” as they value each and every driver who chooses to partner with Uber, and using a wrong vehicle violates community guidelines.

Uber drivers do not work directly for the company but are considered contractors, a status that has been challenged in some jurisdictions with critics arguing the delivery giant exploits workers with ‘gig economy’ jobs that people depend on but without the protections of direct employees.

In a statement to Stuff an Uber spokesperson said “inaccurate or outdated information creates confusion” and can diminish a user’s experience.

“Our Community Guidelines make it clear to all users the behaviour that is expected of them when using the Uber app and how they can lose access.

“These standards clearly state that driver-partners and delivery people must take trips and deliveries using only approved vehicles.”

The statement, however, did not give any reason for why Singh’s vehicle registration application was left pending by the tech giant or why Uber didn’t have a number to call for drivers to dispute their complaints.

“From my side I did anything I needed to do I have all my documentation attached- registration and WOF. It’s all completed,” Singh said.

“This was my only job, and I’m now stressed about what I’m going to do now to pay for all my bills and expenses. I also support my mother in India.

“I was working for them for a long time. I don’t feel valued. I didn’t even get a warning. It’s completely unfair.”

This story has been updated to include comment provided by Uber after it was initially published.