Swiss Uber drivers demand better pay and stronger protections

Swiss Uber drivers say falling fares and unclear ride assignments have worsened their working conditions, and are calling on authorities for more rights and protection, SRF reported in an article by Sara Ibrahim of SWI swissinfo.ch.

Cem Kurun, 30, has driven for Uber in the canton of Zurich since 2019. He said he used to earn about 1,200 francs a week working around 30 hours. Now, he earns only a little more than 300 francs a week. On the day of his interview, he had made just 70 francs after nine hours of work. He said the Covid pandemic and the arrival of Uber competitor Bolt in 2024 had added to the pressure.

Kurun also said he has little control over his work despite being classified as self-employed. He suspects the app gives fewer rides to drivers who turn down too many requests, and said map areas marked as offering higher earnings sometimes disappear when drivers arrive. Uber says drivers can accept or reject rides without penalty, and that acceptance and cancellation rates are not used to match drivers with passengers or personalise fares.

The app lets drivers set their own prices, but Kurun said he stops receiving ride requests if he sets a rate even 10 centimes above Uber’s per-kilometre fare. He also questioned how freely drivers can set their prices.

The drivers’ employment status has been contested in Swiss courts for years. The Unia trade union says Uber’s monitoring of drivers is incompatible with self-employment and argues that they are effectively subject to the company’s working conditions. Unia spokesperson Philipp Zimmermann said drivers were being denied wages, expense reimbursements and social contributions they would be entitled to as employees. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs said in 2018 that Uber drivers should be classified as employees, and several cantonal and federal rulings have supported that view.

In 2021, the Social Insurance Court of the Canton of Zurich ruled that drivers using different Uber services had to be treated as employees. The Federal Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2023. Kurun said conditions had not improved since then. Uber disputes that the rulings apply to its current model, saying it has changed its operations and driver terms several times. The company also says most drivers value the app’s independence and flexibility, and that it provides independent partner drivers in Switzerland with free insurance cover against certain risks.

In Geneva, Uber changed its business model after a lengthy legal dispute. Most drivers using the platform there are now employed through a third-party company. Uber has also reached an agreement with the canton to settle earlier claims and pay outstanding social contributions.