BUPHD (Bristol United Private Hire Drivers) are calling on licensing councils to better regulate ride hailing apps, such as Uber and bolt, as well as other licensed operators such as Veezu.

Their pricing structures and business practices, which can only be described as exploitation, harm the mental and physical well being of drivers who are working longer hours just to merely break even.

This is not the first time such protests have taken place in Bristol and we are constantly been told councils hands are tied.

We are demanding, as part of their licensing conditions, operators sign up to a ethical a fit and proper code of conduct register that commit them to pay drivers £5 base, £2.50 per mile and 20p per minute as well as cap their commissions at 15%.

We are also calling on ride hailing apps to stop their pin to pin practice. A practice that short changes drivers, and revert back to displaying prices on job cards that don't include holiday pay and pension contributions. This practice gives drivers inaccurate mileage and earnings information when accepting jobs.

Drivers also don't want to be scapegoated by being called into meetings in front of licensing officers and committees after "cancelling jobs" when we are constantly being duped into accepting jobs by operators. 

We are demanding for councils to make the second fitness test free and scrap seeing physical DBS certificates when renewing their licenses or be allowed to carry on working while waiting for their new DBS certificate to arrive as this process can take up to 12 weeks. All drivers are signed up to the update service, this should suffice.

Drivers face record high fuel prices, maintenance costs and insurance premiums while fares remain well bellow inflation rates and unethical business practices and licensing policies are being uses against them to facilitate their exploration.

We really hope these measures will bridge the gap between the ride hailing apps/council and drivers.

We feel that a better quality of life for drivers will equate to better service provision, which is only possible when all factors are considered, and a necessary actions are taken.

Bristol United Private Hire Driver