Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697631987285.pdf (Australia)
Submission to Senate Select Committee on Job Security March 2021 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Executive Summary Uber welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the inquiry of the Select Committee on Job Security.

Independent work, while representing a small portion of the broader Australian workforce, provides ﬂexible earning opportunities for many: from retirees, carers, students, people in transition between jobs or those facing barriers ﬁnding other work.
It oﬀers two key things that are unique compared to traditional forms of work - low barriers to earning income, and the ﬂexibility to ﬁt work around one’s own schedule.

Unlike most traditional jobs, including many independent contractor roles, people accessing the Uber apps to earn can choose whether, where and when they log on, as well as the ability to do whatever other work suits them - including with competing platforms.
The availability of platform work during the pandemic provided much needed earning opportunities, allowing people to switch from badly aﬀected sectors and underscoring the value of the unique features of this work: ﬂexibility and accessibility.

However, while we know delivery and driver partners value their independence and the ﬂexibility the app oﬀers, we believe more can be done to improve the quality and security of independent work in the gig economy.
We’ve heard from drivers and delivery people about what works for them and what they want to see us do better.

We’ve also heard from experts and learned from policy solutions being developed to support gig workers around the world.

We believe it is possible to keep improving independent work.

That should start from the premise of quality work, not from binary legal classiﬁcations.
Our view is that gig workers, regardless of their legal status should be able to ﬁnd good quality work, be able to work in the way they choose, and have access to adequate social protections and beneﬁts.

Uber has taken steps to address gaps for drivers and delivery partners in Australia and we want to work with Governments on further improvements.

Our submission is structured as follows: 1.


An overview of how Australians choose to use the Uber app to earn, our approach to safety and what we hear from drivers and delivery people about their experiences; 2.

An outline of Uber's business in Australia, how we have responded during the pandemic crisis, and the value we bring to Australian communities; 3.

Our proposal for a way forward, including the steps we are taking, and what governments could consider to support independent workers into the future.
We look forward to working with the committee on this inquiry and to helping ensure that Australians continue to beneﬁt from our technology.

1 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Contents Executive Summary Why Australians choose on-demand work with Uber Driving and delivering with Uber Earning with Uber What are drivers and delivery people earning when they use the Uber app?
Providing the tools for drivers and delivery partners to make the most of their time Uber’s impact for all Australians Beneﬁts to Community, Consumers and Business Supporting the future of transport and sharing revolution Growing the pie in point to point transport Complementing public transport Improving the ﬁrst and last mile Promoting transport safety Reducing drink driving Business and ridesharing Supporting Australian restaurants The impact of COVID-19 Community response Enhancing independent work in the on-demand economy Principles of quality platform work International approaches A way forward in Australia Pillar 1: Access and ﬂexibility Pillar 2: Safety and Protection Pillar 3: Earnings and beneﬁts Pillar 4: Engagement and growth 1 3 3 5 5 7 10 10 12 26 29 2 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 1 Why Australians choose on-demand work with Uber Driving and delivering with Uber It’s clear that for a growing number of people, ﬂexibility and independence in work are increasingly important priorities.
Work that is ﬂexible to people’s schedules — in particular family life or studies — has traditionally been hard to ﬁnd.

We’ve conducted research with third parties and we’ve spoken directly to drivers and delivery people to understand what works and what needs to be improved for our partners.

These are some of the key ﬁndings.


Uber is primarily used to supplement income → A report by Australian economic advisory ﬁrm Alphabeta in 2019 showed nearly half of all driver-partners on the Uber rideshare platform used Uber as a supplemental source of income, spending a maximum of 10 hours per week on the app.1 → A minority of rideshare drivers using Uber have hours that compare to full-time work.

Just 6% drive more than 40 hours per week and just 8% between 30 and 40 weekly hours.
→ Uber Eats delivery-partners were the focus of a 2021 study by Accenture which showed that delivery partners also use the app to supplement income.

About 8 in 10 delivery people in Sydney work 30 hours or less per week.
1 AlphaBeta Flexibility and fairness: What matters to workers in the new economy (March 2019) 3 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Access to income when you need it → More than half (58%) of Uber Eats’ delivery people indicated they found it diﬃcult to access traditional work, with barriers including visa restrictions, limited skills or experience, and limited English ﬂuency.
→ Nearly three-quarters of delivery people on Uber Eats were ineligible for government support during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to their visa status.

About 6 in 10 (59%) of delivery people reported joining a delivery platform to support themselves ﬁnancially.

Flexibility is key → The 2019 Alphabeta paper showed that 78% of driver-partners signed up to Uber because of its ﬂexible opportunities - and 3 in 5 would not work at all without the ﬂexibility the app provides.
More than 4 out of 5 (83%) of delivery people tell us the same thing: they would no longer work on the Uber Eats app if they are required to deliver during set shifts.

→ Driver-partners using Uber were satisﬁed across a range of ‘job’ attributes – ﬂexibility, the work itself, hours, job security and remuneration.

→ The ﬂexibility of Uber Eats also allowed delivery people to engage in other activities such as studying or other work.
Four in ﬁve delivery people indicated they were working at least one other job, while 34% were studying simultaneously.
→ Uber’s own recent survey with over 16,000 drivers and delivery people across Australia, found that ﬂexibility and independence oﬀered by the Uber app was the top area of satisfaction, with 94% of respondents rating it good or okay.2 The survey reinforced the role that the Uber platform played for people who needed to access work quickly or were looking for ﬂexible work as a result of COVID-19.
We also heard there are areas where we could improve, including customer support, dependability of earnings and responsiveness to feedback.

We have responded with a number of changes that address immediate concerns, including enhanced customer service and a commitment to establish consultative driver and delivery person forums, as well as a plan to further investigate and address other concerns raised.
2 Earner voice survey carried out between December 2020 and January 2021 4 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Earning with Uber More than 100,000 Australians have chosen to use the Uber app to earn.

That’s not only because of the ﬂexibility that earning with Uber provides, but also because our technology enables worthwhile earnings opportunities that meet the expectations of Australians.
How earning with apps like Uber diﬀers from traditional work In contrast to traditional working relationships, drivers and delivery people are not assigned to shifts.

Instead, they may work for as many or as few hours as they want.

They are free to choose which hours they work, and to stop working at any time without notice.

They are similarly free to choose where they work and can elect to drive or deliver in any area.
Drivers and delivery people are also free to accept or reject any trips oﬀered to them and to make themselves available simultaneously on multiple platforms, as many do.3 To make this possible, Uber does not control what drivers and delivery people do in the time before they accept a trip.

As a result, their time “on app” is spent doing a broad range of things.

A driver might be completing trips in the city centre during rush hour.
They could have their Uber Driver app on while commuting or running errands.

They may be simultaneously using another app.

When we talk about the ﬂexible nature of gig work, that means a way of working in which on-app time is unconstrained.

What are drivers and delivery people earning when they use the Uber app?

Individual platforms can only see what drivers and delivery people are earning from the trips or deliveries they accept via their own app.
That means it’s not possible for any one platform to have a true picture of hourly earnings, since workers may be engaging with other apps, including those in the broader gig-economy such as Airtasker or Gumtree, as well as other employment.

However, research has been undertaken to attempt to estimate hourly earnings for platform workers.
As part of the research for the Victorian Inquiry into the On-Demand Workforce, platform workers reported average hourly earnings of $22.19 in the transport and food delivery segment of the gig economy.4 It also found that nearly half of the respondents (47%) in transport and food delivery indicated they worked on more than one platform.

Uber has also undertaken research with third parties, using real data from millions of trips, to estimate hourly earnings for drivers and delivery people who use our apps.
This research, which is included with this submission, shows after cost hourly earnings for drivers in Sydney 3 A description of how earnings are calculated when driving or delivering with Uber is included at Appendix 1.

4 Digital Platform Work in Australia: Prevalence, Nature and Impact (November 2019) at p 43.
5 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 of $21.00 for all online time (based on their Uber earnings alone) and $21.55 for delivery people in Sydney over peak meal times (based on their Uber earnings alone).
Research summary AlphaBeta: Driving with Uber (2019) Accenture: Delivering with Uber (2021) In 2019, research by Alphabeta5, using data from over 3.2 million trips on the Uber rideshare platform, showed that in Sydney, the average driver-partner receives $29.46 (after Uber’s service fee) for every hour on the app.

The average costs incurred (including GST, fuel, insurance, maintenance and depreciation) is $8.46/hour.
Accordingly, the average earnings per hour, net of costs, is estimated to be $21.00 per hour.

The report also shows earnings vary depending on whether driver-partners are active at times and in places where demand is highest.

For example, driver-partners who use the app in peak times of the week or in areas of high demand, earn more than the average.
This report made no account for “dual-apping” income, although found that at least 40% of surveyed drivers self-reported using more than one app to earn simultaneously.

Recent research by Accenture using Uber Eats data found that average earnings for delivery people are $21.55 hr during mealtimes, after costs.

Pre-cost earnings per hour on the Uber Eats app varied by mode of delivery.
During key mealtimes, delivery people in Sydney earn on average $24.04 per hour in a car, $23.48 per hour on a motorcycle and $22.65 per hour on a bicycle.

Delivery people incur costs associated with their work, and on average these hourly costs were $3.30 per hour for cars, $1.51 per hour for motorcycles and $0.54 for bicycles.

The key drivers of pre-cost earnings per hour included when, where and how a delivery person elects to work on the app.
For example, delivery people who work a higher share of their time during dinnertime on Fridays earn more than the average.

This means delivery people have an average take-home earnings of $20.47 per hour if they drive a car, $21.97 per hour on a motorcycle and $21.92 per hour on a bicycle.
While the reports by Alphabeta, Accenture and the survey prepared for the Victorian Government look at platform work per hour of time logged on, people earning with apps like Uber have ﬂexibility to compare diﬀerent earning options, use them simultaneously, or ﬁt them in around the other responsibilities in their lives.
5 AlphaBeta Flexibility and fairness: What matters to workers in the new economy (March 2019) 6 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Accenture's report on Uber Eats estimated that delivery workers who accept more trips on Uber Eats (i.e.

those who may be dual-apping a small amount instead of a high amount) are likely to earn up to an extra $2.41 per hour via Uber Eats.
Given this, if they still make a choice to dual app, it is reasonable to assume that choice brings at least as much economic beneﬁt to them.

Ultimately though, no one platform business can determine an individual's total hourly earnings across multiple income sources.

That is why we also look closely at earnings made on the Uber platform for the time that an individual is actively engaged in work (being the time from when they accept a trip or delivery until when that work is completed).
When measured over a fortnight for the time after a trip or delivery request is accepted to when they are completed, over 98% of drivers and delivery people are earning at least the minimum wage after costs.

There are situations in quiet times of day or less populated areas where, for example, a driver may drive longer to the pick up location than the duration of the trip.
It is for this reason that we have introduced transparency measures to help drivers understand where and when demand for trips is higher so they can make the most of their time.

Providing the tools for drivers and delivery partners to make the most of their time Given the impact that when, where and how drivers and delivery people choose to work has a meaningful impact on earnings, we work to equip everyone using our app with the tools and information to make the most of their time.
7 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Our approach to driver and delivery person safety Safety is fundamental to Uber and built into our technology.

Work, health and safety (WHS) laws in Australia are intended to ensure everyone has a role to play in promoting safety in every workplace.

Platforms, like Uber, have a responsibility to our riders, consumers and the community to keep people safe.
We have led the way for the industry with a number of long-standing policies, processes and features built into our technology to support the safety of everyone who uses our app.

These include: → GPS tracking and support: All trips or deliveries on the platform are tracked - something that had not always been possible in the taxi sector.

Our safety product and operational teams are continuously working on potential ways our technology can be leveraged to automatically identify when an incident occurs.
→ Fatigue management: Our Fatigue Management feature forces drivers and delivery people to take an 8 hour break once they’ve been online on the app for 12 cumulative hours without an 8 hour (or longer) break.

Drivers and delivery people also receive multiple notiﬁcations when approaching the 12-hour limit.

→ Mandatory driver and delivery person education modules: Before anyone can share a ride or make a delivery with Uber, they must complete education modules to help keep them safe on the road.
We have worked with the experts in producing these, and they are tailored to the services that drivers and delivery people will provide through the Uber app.

For example, we have annual bike safety tests and have partnered with Bicycle Queensland to roll out state-speciﬁc safe bike riding videos.

We also ensure safety information is made available ( through in-app help and ongoing safety campaigns).
→ In-app safety toolkit: In 2018 we launched Share My Trip to give partners the ability to share where they are on the map with loved ones and an emergency assistance button as part of an in-app safety toolkit to help people stay protected.

→ Incident Response Team: Everyone using the Uber app has the ability to report any concerns or issues to us via the app that goes to our 24/7 support team.

This is a team of dedicated Incident Response experts trained to handle safety incidents.
We encourage delivery people to contact us with any concerns or issues they may be having and we will work to resolve these with them → ANCAP Policy: We have Australia’s largest 5 star ANCAP policy.

Since 2019 all new vehicles that joined the Uber rides platform were required to have a 5 star ANCAP safety rating, and from October 1 this year it will apply to all vehicles on the platform.

We understand from ANCAP that this is the largest policy of its kind in Australia.
8 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 → Law Enforcement Team: We also have a team of former law enforcement professionals who are on hand to work with police at all times, respond to urgent issues and help assist during an investigation With over 100,000 people using our apps to earn driving and delivering on Australian roads, we are committed to doing our part to promote the safety of all road users.

We support the eﬀorts of Australian Governments to promote Vision Zero.
Following the tragic incidents toward the end of 2020 across the food delivery sector, it is especially clear that more work needs to be done to promote the safety of vulnerable road users, including those delivering on bikes and motorcycles.

Recent changes and new technology we have introduced include: → Helmet detection: We are rolling out a new global ﬁrst helmet detection feature to help conﬁrm that bicycle delivery people are wearing a helmet before they can start delivering with the Uber app.
→ Bike safety checklist: Every day a delivery person riding a bicycle logs online to the app, they will be asked to review a visual safety checklist.

This serves as a reminder on the necessary precautions, such as using safety equipment and following road rules before accepting deliveries.

→ Personal protective equipment: We have begun rolling out access to free Bicycle Safety Kits for delivery people, which include a reﬂective safety vest, bike lights and reﬂectors, a bell and a mobile phone holder.
This saves delivery partners around $100.

In addition, we’re also working on a partnership to oﬀer discounted motorbike equipment to motorbike and scooter delivery people through a leading motorbike equipment provider.
→ New and enhanced safety training and support: We are constantly iterating and improving, and our education modules two-wheeler safety, risk mitigation, driver awareness of bicyclists, and safer streets are currently being reviewed by third party experts including former NSW Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, We Ride Australia, and Bicycle QLD.

We have also made signiﬁcant investments to promote the safety of everyone using our apps during COVID-19, which are detailed in Section 2.
Alongside our commitment to continuously raising the bar for safety, we are also committed to working with Australian governments to promote road safety, and have identiﬁed areas where we are already making progress in Section 3.
Importantly, in our recent survey of over 16,000 drivers and delivery people, we heard that after ﬂexibility, the steps Uber has taken to help protect health and well-being during COVID-19 and the information we provide to support physical safety unrelated to COVID-19 were highly rated by our partners.6 6 Earner voice survey carried out between December 2020 and January 2021.
9 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 2 Uber’s impact for all Australians Uber’s business in Australia - at a glance Uber operates in 43 cities, Uber Eats operates in 36 cities More than 100,000 drivers and delivery partners earning via the Uber app in 2021 4 million passengers are taking trips with the Uber app 2 million people ordered meals from over 30,000 restaurants via Uber Eats Uber ﬁrst launched in Sydney in 2012 with Uber Black, and since then we have provided millions of people with access to reliable and safe on-demand transport, including in regional Australia.
Uber Eats launched in 2016 and has since been embraced by people across the country to get the food they love at the push of a button.

Beneﬁts to Community, Consumers and Business Since launching in Australia, the Uber app has revolutionised the way people, food and goods move through our cities.

Figure 1 shows how over six years, Uber has gone from an inner city product to something that people all over metropolitan Melbourne can enjoy, providing increased access and improved wait times.
Uber now operates in 43 cities across Australia with Uber Eats operating in 36, and millions of Australians use the Uber apps on a regular basis.

Our scale and reach means we can have a signiﬁcant impact on the communities we serve and we want to make sure everyone can share in the beneﬁts our technology brings.
10 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Figure 1: Average wait times in Melbourne in 2013 and 2019 This change to urban mobility options has fundamentally changed the way people around the world can move around their cities.

In a recent study of UK riders for example, they ranked the arrival of ridesharing services as the change which has had the biggest positive impact on their travelling experience in the last 10 years: Figure 2: Public First rider survey (UK, 2020).
11 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Supporting the future of transport and sharing revolution By getting more people in fewer cars, we can increase urban mobility and help reduce congestion and pollution over time.

Uber, like many others, sees the future of transport as shared, electric and automated.
Ridesharing has been important in accelerating the cultural transition towards shared transport, and Uber Pool is one product that makes it easy for people headed in the same direction, at the same time, to share the journey.

Growing the pie in point to point transport By meeting riders where they are located, ridesharing has increased the ease and convenience of point to point transport, growing the broader sector.
2019 research by Roy Morgan (see ﬁgure 2) shows how the point to point market has grown from just over 30% of Australians using it in June 2016 to almost 45% in June 2019.

Uber’s products have meant people have many more transport options to choose from, day and night.
Figure 3: % of Australians travelling by Uber and Taxis in an average three months7 7 Roy Morgan 2019, Ride-sharing app Uber overtakes taxis as preferred private transport service, Roy Morgan, viewed 29 March 2021, http://www.roymorgan.com/ﬁndings/8098-uber-overtakes-taxis-june-2019-201908260239 12 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Complementing public transport Public transport is the backbone of cities across the world.
We see our industry as complementary, extending the reach of the public transport, so we are always looking for ways we can better integrate into public transport networks, as well as oﬀering a solution to some of the well known challenges with providing public transport in outer urban and regional areas.
Uber also provides people with ‘mobility insurance’, which is the conﬁdence to get public transport to an event, or stay out late at night, knowing that if they can’t get public transport home they can use Uber.

Already in Australia, 15% of all Uber trips start or end at a public transport hub.

We also see people using Uber at times when public transport is infrequent or unavailable.
2016 analysis of Uber use in Sydney on Friday and Saturday nights shows how people are using Uber to get home safely in the evenings (see ﬁgure 3).

Figure 4: Weekend Public Transport Activity and Uber Rides in Sydney’s CBD, 2016 Uber is working to extend the reach of public transport, helping unlock economic opportunity for more Australians.
This phenomenon was reﬂected in a New South Wales Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) survey of point to point transport which found that in 2018, “the use of ridesharing in urban areas outside Sydney (Newcastle, Wollongong, Gosford and Wyong) more than doubled from 10 to 28 per cent”, a vast improvement in urban mobility for traditionally underserved areas.
To further enhance the complementarity between ridesharing and public transport, Uber has integrated public transport journey planning in the Uber app in Sydney, Melbourne and 13 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Brisbane.

By empowering consumers with more choice, we are helping to encourage the most eﬃcient use of our urban transport networks.
Case study: Manly FerryConnect pilot FerryConnect was launched in January 2019 in partnership with Captain Cook as part of Transport for NSW’s Mobility as a Service Challenge.

In the program Uber provided discounted fares for Uber Pool trips from within a service geofence in Manly to the ferry wharf.

This was coupled with a 20% discount on Captain Cook ferry trips from Manly to Barangaroo during commuter hours.

It meant riders could leave their car at home and save time ﬁnding a park.
At its peak, there were approximately 1,000 trips per week on FerryConnect, with high customer satisfaction.

Over 90% of passengers reported very positive experiences and indicated they would use the service again.

This enabled Uber to deliver eﬃcient MaaS services and show how technology can facilitate multi-modal trips and encourage public transport use.
Improving the ﬁrst and last mile A key barrier to more people taking public transport is the “ﬁrst and last mile” gap, or the distance between someone’s home and rail or bus station.

Across Australia, Uber’s data shows that over 60% of Uber trips start or end in a public transport desert, and almost half of all trips are one-way, implying that for some suburbs, for at least part of the day, public transport is unavailable to cover either the outbound or return leg.
In this way, ridesharing complements public transport where services are limited.8 Last year we announced that Sydney, alongside Chicago, would be the ﬁrst city in the world to get our new product aimed at addressing the ﬁrst mile challenge, Uber and Transit.

This new option in the Uber app considers thousands of permutations to ﬁnd the best combination of UberX and public transport to get people to their destination.
Once the best route is found, 8 Deloitte Access Economics 2016, Economic eﬀects of ridesharing in Australia, Deloitte Access Economics, pg 5, available via: https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/economic-eﬀects-ridesharing-australia-uber.html 14 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 riders can use Uber to request a trip to the station, while monitoring real-time transit timetables.
Promoting transport safety Technology can make travel safer than ever before and our team of safety engineers are continually working on innovations that provide both riders and drivers peace of mind.

In addition to the safety features outlined in Section 1 for driver and delivery partners, the following features help ensure we promote safety for everyone using our app and those who share the roads.
→ 000 Emergency Button: In September 2018, we launched an emergency button in the app which connects directly to emergency services in the event of an emergency.

The feature displays a rider’s real-time location and the car make/model and license number to easily share that information with 000.
→ RideCheck: In May 2020, Uber rolled out RideCheck which is a technology that can detect a potential crash or an unexpected long stop and then sends a proactive check-in to both the rider and driver to oﬀer assistance.

The app also provides quick access to key safety tools so riders and drivers can get the help that they may need.
→ Bike Route Alerts: We’ve rolled out Bike Lane Alerts in more than 200 cities around the world which includes an in-app notiﬁcation when riders are being dropped oﬀ near a bike lane.

This helps make sure riders look out for cyclists before they open the door.

15 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 → Verify Your Ride: In February 2020 we introduced a feature allowing riders to opt-in a PIN code feature to verify their rides.
When the feature is enabled, a trip cannot start until the correct PIN is entered into the driver’s app.

→ On-Trip Reporting: As of 2021, we introduced an On-Trip reporting feature that enables reporting of an issue during a trip.

Uber’s safety team will follow up after the trip.

→ Improved Real-Time ID Check: In 2016, we announced Real-Time ID Check, specialised “selﬁe” technology to ensure the driver matches the account in our system.
→ Push Notiﬁcations/Banners: We send reminders to riders as part of our “Check Your Ride” campaign, including the colour, make and model of the car and the driver's name → Driver/Car Information: Riders are given the driver’s name, photo, make and model of the car and license plate number when they request a trip.

→ GPS Tracking: Each trip is GPS tracked so there is a record of the trip and pertinent information is included on the receipt and trip history.
→ Share Trip Feature: Riders and drivers can share their trip so friends and family are able to follow them on a map in real time, and know when they’ve arrived.

Riders can also pre-program contacts who they will be regularly prompted to share their trip with.

→ Anonymised Contacts: Uber uses technology to anonymise phone numbers when riders and drivers contact each other through the app, and we’ve taken steps to anonymise exact pick-up and drop-oﬀ addresses in the driver’s trip history.
→ Cross-Street Feature: Riders can use cross-streets rather than an exact address as pick-up and drop-oﬀ locations for an added layer of privacy.

→ Two-Way Feedback: We have a two-way feedback system where riders and drivers can rate each other and provide comments.

This information is reviewed by our 24-7 support team.

→ Driver Hour Limits/Speed Alerts: We limit the number of hours a driver can take trips on the app without a continuous break and drivers can set up in-app alerts if they are speeding.
These changes have helped change the way people can move around Australian cities.

Reducing drink driving In addition to ensuring the safety of riders and drivers using point to point transport, it is important to consider how the growth of the point to point sector in recent years has improved safety more broadly.

In Australia, a study from Empirica Research found that 3 in 4 Australian riders believe Uber helps reduce drink driving in their community and for those who drive.
An 16 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 extraordinary 78 per cent say it’s helped them personally avoid drink driving.9 Uber, and ridesharing, is also often used by women looking for a safe way to get home late at night10.

Australian riders also reported that what they found most valuable about Uber was that they could get an aﬀordable ride, any time during the day or night.
More than a quarter of Australian riders said they were more comfortable going out socially now that Uber is available, and almost half report they are less likely to drive themselves on a night out.

Uber has partnered with organisations such as DrinkWise in Australia and Cheers in New Zealand to raise awareness about alternatives to drunk driving.
Business and ridesharing Business travellers around the world have embraced ridesharing and Uber as an easier and more cost-eﬀective way to get travelling staﬀ from A to B.

With Uber for Business, companies can control access and monitor trip activity, including tagging trips with an expense code, creating customisable ride policies that set when and where employees can ride, and designing customisable trip reports that include details businesses need to keep track of and analyse travel spend.
Small and large businesses, as well as government clients have embraced this Approach to travel management.

Supporting Australian restaurants Across the country, thousands of restaurants — from local small businesses to international chains — partner with Uber Eats to deliver their food to customers quickly and reliably.

Growth Uber Eats supports Australian restaurants by helping them reach more customers and grow their business incrementally and sustainably.
In 2019, delivery apps were estimated to have added 80 million deliveries to the restaurant economy.

75% of surveyed Australians also reported that delivery apps made them more aware of independent restaurants.11 The same study revealed that 75% of customers who discover a restaurant through a delivery app are likely to visit the restaurant in the future.

Throughout COVID-19, we know that delivery apps were a lifeline for the restaurant industry.
These growth opportunities are spread evenly across both ends of the marketplace, with our app technology driving signiﬁcant awareness of independent restaurants and contributing to incremental and meaningful growth for Australian restaurants.
9 Uber 2019, Aﬀordable, reliable rides help tackle drink driving among Aussies, available via: https://www.uber.com/en-AU/newsroom/ausdrinkdriving/ 10 Committee for Sydney 2019, Safety after dark: Creating a city for women living and working in Sydney, Committee for Sydney, Sydney, pg 11, available via: https://www.sydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CfS_Safety-After-Dark.pdf 11 https://alphabeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/growing-the-pie-ﬁnal-report.pdf 17 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Flexibility Our app allows restaurants to unlock ﬂexible, convenient and eﬃcient delivery as a service.
There are no lock-in contracts and oﬀerings which can be tweaked based on the unique demands of small businesses.

There are many diﬀerent ways restaurants can partner with Uber Eats to ensure the platform suits the needs of the their business, including: → Click and collect: Use the Uber Eats app to drive demand and oﬀer click and collect purchasing arrangements to customers.

→ Existing restaurant delivery staﬀ: Use their own staﬀ to complete deliveries ordered on the app.
→ Uber Eats delivery people: Connect to thousands of local delivery people using the Uber Eats app to get their food to customers.

Impact Uber Eats continues to play an impactful role for the Australian restaurant and catering industry.
Prior to the pandemic, app delivery was estimated to account for 5.6% – or $2.6 billion – of restaurant trade and 70% of the delivery app spend is money that wouldn’t have otherwise been spent in restaurants.12 New technology has created opportunities for restaurant partners to connect with customers at an unprecedented scale, helping businesses evolve in step with digital trends while improving operational productivity.
The impact of COVID-19 Australia’s strong public health and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic has saved lives, but has still had profound economic and social impacts.

These eﬀects have been felt in diﬀerent ways by drivers, delivery people and of course in the restaurant economy.

For any business that helps get people from A to B, the restrictions on movement had an immediate impact on drivers sharing rides.
This was felt most acutely in early 2020, recovery of movement in Australian cities took time and of course was impacted with various city or state lockdowns throughout 2020 and into 2021: 12 https://alphabeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/growing-the-pie-ﬁnal-report.pdf 18 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Figure 5: Apple Mobility Trends - Change in routing requests since 13 January 2020, Australia13 Uber supported the eﬀorts of Australian governments to contain the virus, and recommended that riders travel only when absolutely necessary.
We also made signiﬁcant changes to our existing products, such as suspending Uber Pool, and asking riders to ride in the back seat.

Even as movement has recovered, customer use cases have necessarily changed.
While social and workday travel has largely recovered, airport trips are still signiﬁcantly lower: Figure 6: January 2021 bookings by use case 13 Apple Mobility Trends, Change in routing requests since 13 January 2020, available via: https://covid19.apple.com/mobility 19 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 While mobility was seriously reduced in 2020, consumer spending on food delivery increased signiﬁcantly.
To support this signiﬁcant change for drivers, delivery people and restaurants we made signiﬁcant changes in response to COVID-19.
Promoting COVID Safety In May 2020, we partnered with Reckitt Benckiser (RB) to provide drivers and delivery partners with access to free health and hygiene kits, including Dettol Instant Hand Sanitiser and Disinfectant Wipes, to ensure that partners could access sanitisers and disinfectants at no cost, as part of Uber’s $50 million global commitment to provide equipment for hygienic rides.
We were also ﬁrst in the rideshare and food delivery industries to announce that drivers and delivery partners with an active case of COVID-19; or individually ordered to self-quarantine; may be eligible for up to 14 days of ﬁnancial assistance.

Uber Eats communicates frequently with both drivers, delivery people and restaurants to provide additional guidance to reﬂect the health risk posed by COVID-19.

This has included reminders to delivery-partners on the importance of proper hygiene practices.
We also introduced contactless delivery on Uber Eats, to reduce touch points and improve safety.

Supporting restaurants The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest-hit sectors by COVID-19 and this placed food delivery platforms like Uber Eats in a unique situation, with new responsibilities towards the marketplace.

People relied on us to connect with restaurants and merchants to order food and essentials while staying at home, while restaurants used the app to continue trading.
We focused our support on driving demand for restaurants and providing earnings opportunities across the market.

In May 2020 we introduced new options for restaurants that changed the way they engage with us, and the fees we charge for our service, giving greater choice for restaurants in the ways they can use the platform to build their business.
Community response As part of our response during the crisis, we partnered with Feed Appeal to make up to 50,000 free deliveries of food hampers and meals available to vulnerable households across Australia.

To show our support for those on the frontline, we pledged 25,000 delivered meals to hospital workers, and we oﬀered the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation up to 4,000 free rides to children and families, who need to travel to and from the hospital to receive treatment.
We also expanded our partnership with WESNET (Women’s Services Network) to oﬀer up to 3,000 free rides for WESNET partner organisations to use to support those needing safe travel to or from shelters and domestic violence support services.

As travel begins to pick up, we know Uber can play a role in supporting the domestic tourism industry.

We have expanded our reach in regional areas and hope that by providing access to ﬂexible, on-demand transport we can help local economies and tourism to rebuild.
20 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 3 Enhancing independent work in the on-demand economy Principles of quality platform work We’ve heard from drivers and delivery people about what works for them and what they want to see us do better.

We’ve also heard from experts, and learned from policy solutions being developed to support gig workers around the world.

We believe a better standard for independent work is achievable and should be built around the following four pillars: 1.
Access and ﬂexibility.

The ability to access earnings when needed including during economic downturns and the ability to choose if, when, where, for whom and for how long to work.

2.

Safety and protection.

Support to carry out your work safely and protection in the event of an accident or injury at work.

3.

Earnings and beneﬁts.

Fair and transparent earnings and access to a reliable safety net.

4.

Engagement and growth.

Having a voice in decision making and support to meet your long term goals.
International approaches In diﬀerent parts of the world Governments have developed thoughtful reform solutions that expand access to social protections, irrespective of worker status.
In 2019, Portugal reformed its independent worker social security coverage by making it more accessible to workers, providing protections in line with those that full-time employees beneﬁt from, and revising contributions to adjust them to how independent workers choose to work and to how much they actually earn.14 In France, the 2019 Compte Personnel de Formation reform means that every worker, whether employee or self-employed, has access to a 14 Portuguese Government (2019), Social Security Contribution System 21 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 personal fund to access vocational training.15 And in California, Proposition 22 was passed in state elections in November 2020, classifying platform drivers in the state as independent contractors and introducing new requirements for platform companies to provide beneﬁts and protections to app-based drivers and delivery people, including healthcare stipends and safety training.
This means drivers can receive additional beneﬁts while still taking advantage of ﬂexibility.

Case study: Regulatory reform in India - social security for all In India, a labour market reform16 adopted in 2020 will open up access to social security for all workers, regardless of their classiﬁcation.

The reform simpliﬁes and updates complex labour legislation to take account of new and evolving forms of work.
The new legislation deﬁnes gig and platform workers as being outside the traditional employer-employee relationship, and establishes a Social Security Fund with mandatory ﬁnancial contributions by platforms.

The reform aims to bring clarity to work arrangements and increase social protections for gig workers, while boosting ﬂexible job opportunities and the country’s economic growth.
Key provisions related to gig and platform workers: ● Social Security Fund: Platforms’ mandatory ﬁnancial contribution is pegged at 1 to 2% of platform service fees excluding federal taxes.

● Social Security Schemes: These provide for beneﬁts such as life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity beneﬁts, old age protection and childcare.
The schemes will be implemented by the federal government, and will also be linked to government welfare schemes, ensuring economies of scale and maximising beneﬁts for gig and platform workers.

● National Social Security Board: The federal government will set up a Board to make decisions on the deployment of the Social Security Fund and the social security cover of platform work.
● Minimum eligibility criteria: Workers are eligible for beneﬁts if they have been engaged with one platform for a minimum of 90 days over 12 months.

The schemes also recognise multi-app working.
15 OECD (2020), Individualising training access schemes: France – the Compte Personnel de Formation (Personal Training Account – CPF) 16 Ashima Oban and Akanksha Dua (2020), India: The Social Security Code, 2020 22 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 These types of laws extend access to social protections or training to independent workers, without attempting to change their classiﬁcation, therefore allowing workers to beneﬁt from immediately accessible and ﬂexible work, while allowing them better protections.
A way forward in Australia We want to work with governments to enable a stronger safety net for independent workers.

We can make progress on our own, however to ensure lasting beneﬁts, regardless of which app someone chooses to use, we need to work with policymakers, other platforms and workers on sector-wide reform.

Importantly, we need a national response on these issues.
The concept and advantages of a national workplace relations system was considered in 2009, with support from key stakeholders in business, unions and academia, calling for an end to the complexity, duplication, and confusion created by competing state and federal systems.
When introducing the legislation for a national workplace relations system, the then Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, said: “The Bill I introduce today answers the many calls made by business over many years to end the overlap and duplication of state and federal workplace relations systems; to end the ineﬃciency, uncertainty and legal complexity for Australian businesses and employees.” We’ve proposed the four key pillars for quality independent work, and in this section we explain the steps we’re taking as a platform, and where we think government and industry could work together to enhance independent work.
Pillar 1: Access and ﬂexibility Independent platform work oﬀers two key things that are unique compared to more traditional forms of work - low barriers to earning income, and ﬂexibility to ﬁt work around one’s own schedule.

What Uber is doing Ensuring equitable access to work for everyone who meets the safety and regulatory requirements.

Uber’s platform makes work available to everyone who meets the legal requirements.

We actively work to be non-discriminatory and to provide equal opportunities.
This is an important and unique feature of platform work since we know that those from minority, immigrant or historically disadvantaged backgrounds can face unfair barriers in the traditional labour market.

23 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Providing rapid access to earning opportunities for those who need it most.
As we have seen during the pandemic, platforms have been able to provide rapid access to income for thousands of Australians who might have otherwise relied on Government beneﬁts or had nothing to fall back on at all.

Flexibility for everyone who wants it.

The ﬂexibility oﬀered by platforms like Uber is fundamentally diﬀerent from how traditional hourly employment works, including casual work arrangements.
Independent workers have genuine two-sided ﬂexibility to accept or reject work, and to choose to work: if they want, when they want, to stop working when they choose, and for as many platforms or entities as they want.

Policy opportunities Support ﬂexible and independent work.

We ask that Governments continue to support ﬂexible independent work.

Some commentators argue the only way to ensure fair conditions for gig workers is to move them into a traditional employment arrangement.
It is clear from countless surveys, research and feedback from Uber partners, that employment arrangements are not desired.

If platforms were required to oﬀer employment, then, like other employers, the incentive would be to hire fewer drivers to each do more trips, and require them to work ﬁxed shifts.

Reduce ﬁnancial barriers to accessing independent work.

We’d like to work with governments to reduce the ﬁnancial and administrative burden associated with becoming rideshare accredited.
While speciﬁc requirements vary, all states and territories require rideshare drivers to apply and pay for rideshare licenses or accreditations.

Where there are high costs to get started, data shows17 this makes it harder for those who need to access supplementary, ad hoc, or seasonal earnings.
Pillar 2: Safety and Protection It is in everyone’s interest that every worker, regardless of whether they are an employee or contractor, and regardless of which platform they are working with, is supported to carry out their work safely and has protection in the event that something goes wrong.
17 https://medium.com/uber-under-the-hood/when-it-comes-to-driving-with-uber-all-cities-are-not-created-equal-f86212 1021df#.4ex0wnk2q 24 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 What Uber is doing A detailed summary of our approach to driver and delivery person safety is set out in Section 1.

In addition, we’re working closely with Governments in this area: NSW Joint Taskforce for Food Delivery Rider Safety.
We’re active participants in the NSW Government’s important work across industry to help identify and respond to safety risks in the food delivery sector.

The Taskforce is working to produce a new guide on WHS roles and responsibilities and an Industry Action Plan.

We are also working with the NSW Centre for WHS to explore behavioural interventions that will promote safety.

We’re committed to rolling out whatever we learn nationally.

Promoting safer streets for vulnerable road users.


Uber subscribes to the Vision Zero approach which recognises that people sometimes make mistakes, so the road system and related policies should be designed to ensure those mistakes do not result in severe injuries or fatalities.

As we continue to promote a safe rideshare and food delivery industry, we want to play an active role in promoting safer streets and roads for cyclists, some of our most vulnerable road users.
Cycling is a popular mode for online food delivery as they are more accessible than cars and easier to park, and have many beneﬁts for cities, local economies and the environment.

However, it has also highlighted the need to improve cycling infrastructure networks.

Personal accident insurance for drivers and delivery people.

At a basic level, all workers should have protection in the event something does go wrong.
Uber has an insurance policy in place if drivers or delivery people using our app are in an accident while on a trip or delivery.

We also oﬀer access to counselling services through Converge should a driver need support following an incident.

This support package is oﬀered at no additional cost to partners and they are automatically enrolled.18 Policy opportunities Promote compliance and understanding of nationally consistent WHS laws.
As a national platform we encourage Ministers at both state and federal levels with responsibility for WHS to pursue a nationally-consistent approach to safety in our sector.

18 More detail on our partner support package is available online, here: https://www.uber.com/au/en/drive/insurance/injury-protection/ 25 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Promote investment in safe cycling infrastructure.
Cycling’s growing role in our urban freight task needs to be supported with the right infrastructure, particularly separated infrastructure on busy arterial roads.

Uber wants to work with governments to identify where there are current gaps in cycling networks and we can use our data to support business cases for existing and planned bike paths.

Ensure a Safe Systems approach to protect on-demand economy workers in the transport sector.
Consistent with the National Road Safety Strategy, a Safe System approach is required to improve road safety.

Creating slower roads through lowering speed limits or behavioural interventions and education that encourage slower driving such as increased landscaping or remove lane markings where appropriate, would beneﬁt all road users including cyclists.

Ensure minimum insurance standards for platform work.
There has rightly been discussion in recent months of the appropriate settings for compensation across the industry, and it is our view that workers should be protected regardless of whether they are employed or independent.

At a minimum, governments should ensure all platforms provide insurance for workers, so that anyone participating in the gig economy knows they are covered in the event of an accident, even if they use multiple apps.
Pillar 3: Earnings and beneﬁts As explained in Section 1, analysis across both Uber and Uber Eats shows average hourly earnings for all time logged on to the Uber app, which is consistent with other research: ● Research by Alphabeta in 2019, based on the data from 3.2 million trips in Sydney, found drivers earned an average of $21.00 after costs per hour, from their Uber earnings alone.
● Research by Accenture in 2021, based on data from 6.9 million deliveries in Sydney, found that delivery people earned an average of $21.55 after costs per hour over peak meal times, from their Uber earnings alone.

● Research for the Victorian Government reported average hourly earnings of $22.19 for the transport and delivery sector in the on-demand economy.19 Research referred to above shows an individual’s hourly earnings, including for the time they are online but between trips.
As drivers and delivery people can use this online time before a 19 Digital Platform Work in Australia: Prevalence, Nature and Impact (November 2019) at p 43.

26 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 trip or delivery to work with other apps, employers, to study, or commute, we also track earnings per engaged hour, or per hour spent en route or on a trip or delivery.
Our own data shows that over a fortnight, more than 98% of drivers and delivery people are earning at least the minimum wage after costs, for the time they spend driving or delivering.

This includes the time after a trip or delivery request is ﬁrst accepted until when the trip or delivery is complete.

What Uber is doing on earnings Being upfront.


We want to ensure driving and delivering with Uber is worthwhile which is why we provide drivers and delivery people with tools and information to make the most of their time.

We are upfront about when to expect more trips and deliveries and when it may be quieter.

Providing data and research on how drivers and delivery people earn.
We’ve worked to be transparent about earnings on our platform so we can meaningfully contribute to conversations with Governments on how to ensure the earnings independent workers receive in the on-demand economy meet both worker and community expectations.

Listening and responding to improve earnings dependability.

In our recent partner survey, around 70% rated earnings dependability as good or okay, however 28% rated this as poor.
The survey was completed at the end of 2020, and results must be considered against a backdrop of COVID restrictions and reduced trip numbers, which had a ﬂow on eﬀect to earnings.

Nonetheless we are looking in more detail at the feedback on speciﬁc areas called out such as shorter trips, and where we can make improvements.

We’re also looking at what we can do to manage expectations on incentives and busy times so drivers have more clarity.
Another important area for review and reform are the beneﬁts and entitlements aﬀorded to independent contractors.

For most of the 20th century, employers in Australia have been responsible for delivering the social safety net to workers and their families.

This made sense when people spent their whole career with a single institution, but in our modern economy, people are increasingly looking for occupational mobility, autonomy and ﬂexibility in work.
We see an opportunity to adapt and expand access to beneﬁts and protections through pooled funding arrangements.

Last year, we prepared a global policy paper20 on this subject, which proposed that platform companies make contributions on behalf of independent workers to individual beneﬁts “funds”.
These funds could provide independent workers with a 20 https://ubernewsroomapi.10upcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Working-Together-Priorities.pdf 27 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 single source to turn to for entitlements, and autonomy over when and where they use them, whether it be paid time oﬀ for sickness, or to care for loved ones.

We propose key features for pooled beneﬁts.


These are: ● proportionality (the beneﬁt accrued is proportional to the amount of work completed), ● aggregation (independent workers can easily combine beneﬁts across platforms), and ● autonomy (independent workers have choice and control over when and how the beneﬁts are used).

What Uber is doing on beneﬁts Leading thinking on pooled beneﬁts for on-demand work.

In Australia, there has been some early exploration of these ideas by academics and think tanks21.
We plan to spend the next few months talking to drivers and delivery people, and bringing together experts and existing organisations in a series of policy roundtables looking at the challenges and opportunities for delivering pooled beneﬁts to gig workers.

Policy opportunities on earnings and beneﬁts Earnings and beneﬁts should accrue for work undertaken.

Any policy change must reﬂect the fact that platforms today are both open access and non exclusive.
As a result, no single platform has oversight or control of total earnings.

Any system that compensates for all on-app time would mean a company must intervene to manage the amount of total on-app time in the market— just as employers do.

As we’ve written before, it’s this type of management of employees’ time that results in: rostered shifts, schedules and ultimately a limited number of available roles.

Consultation with industry and workers on pooled or proportional beneﬁts for on-demand economy.
We’d like to work with the Government to understand the policy options that could enable pooled beneﬁts for gig workers.

For example, Iif platforms were required to make contributions to pooled funds or on a proportional basis, beneﬁts could accrue to workers from diﬀerent gigs.
21 https://mckellinstitute.org.au/app/uploads/McKell-Insecure-Work-Portable-Entitlements.pdf 28 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Pillar 4: Engagement and growth What we’re doing When making decisions, we take into account the feedback we are getting from drivers and delivery people via regular research, roundtables, and through our support channels.
However, despite these ongoing eﬀorts, in our recent extensive survey driver partners and delivery people indicated they want more options to be heard and for Uber to be more responsive with actions taken.

We also understand that the diﬀuse and changing nature of the independent workforce and the diversity among independent workers makes it diﬃcult for drivers and delivery people to feel connected to their peers and to advocate for themselves and each other.
That’s why we’ve recently announced: Uber Australia Earner Advisory Forums.

New advisory forums for driver partners and one for delivery people.

These will bring together earners on the platform and Uber company leaders to discuss areas of concern and practical ways to address them.

Enhancing real time customer support for drivers and delivery people.

Phone support will be re-introduced for driver partners across Australia.
We’ll also go further, with enhanced chat support for delivery people to address their most common pain points.

More transparency around account access.

We know that engagement will work better if the processes and policies we have in place are as transparent as possible.

To that end, we have recently moved to oﬀer greater transparency on how and why drivers and delivery people may lose access to the app, either temporarily or permanently.
We’ve set up an enhanced review process to make sure anyone can raise a concern if they believe they incorrectly lost access to their account, and that we’ll review those requests within 48-72 hours.

Open dialogue.

We will continue to engage with representatives and stakeholders who can speak credibly to the interests of drivers and delivery people; with whom we can have an ongoing conversation and who can hold us accountable.
For many, driving or delivering with Uber is a supplementary income, a stop gap, or to support themselves through the completion of university study.

Nonetheless, personal growth and development are important facets of work and can help unlock new economic opportunities.

29 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Around the world, we’ve made investments to support lifelong learning.
We have partnered with Arizona State University to oﬀer eligible drivers and delivery people and their family members free access to online undergraduate degrees and accredited courses.

We want to support our partners in realising their potential and meeting career goals including by partnering with leading educational institutions.

However, as outlined above, there is an ongoing disincentive for platforms in Australia to oﬀer options for learning and training to independent workers.
Policy opportunities Ensure legal frameworks incentivise platforms to extend training and development opportunities to independent workers.

This issue could be addressed with the amendment to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) as already outlined.

Legitimate experience developed in the on-demand economy should be recognised.
Uber would like to work with government and education institutions to develop a system that provides for appropriate credentialing in relation to skills acquired in the on demand economy including digital literacy, customer service skills and time and expense management.

These are skills that may be relevant to other employment, and formal credentialing would help them to secure future employment opportunities.
30 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Annex 1: Legal status of rideshare driver and delivery-partners using Uber In 2020, the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission considered the employment status of a delivery-partner who used the UberEats App and determined that there was no employment relationship between a delivery-partner and any Uber entity.
That decision, which upheld an earlier decision of the Fair Work Commission that there was no employment relationship between a delivery-partner and any Uber entity, reﬂects three similar conclusions reached by the Fair Work Commission concerning the Uber Rides business in 2019, 2018 and 2017, in which the Fair Work Commission concluded that driver-partners were not in an employment relationship with Uber entities.
These decisions show that Uber values and respects the genuine two-sided ﬂexibility that comes with independent work.

Uber does not know if a driver or delivery-partner will use the Uber apps within the next minute, and if they do, where, when and for how long they will do it.

Further, Australians who drive or deliver with Uber may simultaneously use other Apps, including competitors and may reject trip requests from the Uber app.
The independent contractor classiﬁcation may not be appropriate for all on-demand platforms, including for operators who choose to operate under sham arrangements.
Existing mechanisms are in place to deal with these situations, including the Fair Work Commission, an easily accessible tribunal that exercises powers in a manner that is eﬃcient and avoids unnecessary technicalities, and through the Fair Work Ombudsman, which provides free advice and information to workers and has powers to prosecute companies that fail to comply with workplace laws, including in the on-demand economy.
31 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19 Annex 2: How earnings are calculated Uber Ridesharing Riders pay Driver-Partners for trips.

Trip fares are collected by Uber and then transferred to the Driver-Partner, less Uber’s service fee.

The fare is calculated based on time and distance estimations using the time and distance rates published by Uber as well as the pickup location and destination entered by the Rider.

A minimum fare applies for all trips.


Additionally, the fare may include any tolls, taxes, other fees (such as an airport charge) and/or dynamic pricing (commonly referred to as "surge pricing").

Dynamic pricing is a feature which reﬂects the number of Driver-Partners who are online to accept trip requests relative to the number of Riders who are making trip requests at a particular time and area.
For example, if Rider demand for trips is greater than the number of driver-partners available in that area at that time, the fare is increased to reﬂect demand.

Driver-Partners have access to information detailing the amount they earned via their app and automatically receive earnings to their designated bank account on a weekly basis or they can elect to receive their earnings instantly using Uber’s “instant pay” feature.
Uber Eats Before Delivery Partners accept a trip, they are provided with upfront trip information.

This includes the minimum earnings they will receive, the pickup and drop-oﬀ locations, the name and location of the restaurant, and the total estimated time and distance from when they accept the delivery request to when they drop oﬀ the order.

Once they complete a trip, the trip details screen will give a breakdown of all the trip components.
Any tips or tolls will be added or reimbursed and shown on the trip details screen.

Fares include a base amount, any surge or promotions applied and in some circumstances, a trip supplement.

The base amount is calculated on estimated delivery time, distance, and whether the trip has multiple pickup and/or drop- oﬀ points.
In certain circumstances, a trip supplement may apply to a trip in addition to the base amount, when there are: ● Higher than usual estimated traﬃc conditions ● Higher than usual estimated wait times at the pickup location ● Areas with limited availability of delivery partners and higher than usual demand for delivery 32 Select Committee on Job SecuritySubmission 19