Uber Drivers Protest Over Fare Price Change
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
DALLAS (CBSDFW) - Business for the popular 'on demand' car service Uber may be booming, but a recent change in policy has some local Dallas Uber drivers fuming.
The chant of "we want fairness" is coming from a small group of Uber drivers protesting what they claim is unfair treatment.
Most of the demonstrators identified themselves as UberBLACK drivers, which means they operate larger vehicles, usually black SUVs for which customers pay a premium. Protestors showed CBS11 an email from Uber dated September 17 informing them that effective Friday, September 18 all existing UberBLACK vehicles will receive all eligible trip requests.
Uber drivers protest outside Uber offices pic.twitter.com/frIN5NKH51
— Gabriel Roxas (@gabriel__roxas) September 18, 2015
While the company described this change as an advantage for the UberBLACK drivers, many protestors said they did not want to accept the cheaper trip requests, and they feared being deactivated by Uber for refusing requests.
The drivers say to be an UberBLACK driver they purchased more expensive vehicles with their own money, and they incur other higher costs to operate their vehicles. Many say the move is unfair because accepting cheaper requests will not be financially viable for them, and they had no warning this could happen.
[tweet https://twitter.com/cbs11gabriel/status/644931873102102532]
"We can not come here without getting results" said an unidentified Uber driver.
The group says they have spoken with Uber representatives and will continue to protest.
*This is a developing story. Listen to 1080 KRLD for more information.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)