Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Uber, Bolt may hike prices this week to help drivers

Uber, Bolt may hike prices this week to help drivers

UBER and Bolt are contemplating passing the high fuel costs to customers as the ride-hailing firms seek to help their divers.

Uber’s UK arm said last week that it remained focused on offering drivers “the benefits and protections they deserve”.

RAC Foundation data showed that the pump prices of unleaded petrol in the UK shot up from around 126p March last year to 163.59p on Monday (28). The steep rise in the input costs has squeezed the earnings of the drivers, who have to buy their own fuel.

A flat 5p cut in fuel duty announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak last week has brought the prices only marginally.

Both Uber and Bolt are expected to announce their plans to help the drivers later this week. If Bolt increases its price now, it will be a second hike by the company since January when its price went up 10 per cent.

The near record-high fuel costs have been forcing drivers to avoid long-distance drives which would erode their margins further.

I’m not going to pick up anybody who is farther away because I’m paying for that extra fuel. So there is a knock-on effect for the customer,” Habib Ur-Rehman, a private-hire driver in Manchester, told The Times.

The erosion of their margins means the drivers have to work extra hours to go back home with a decent amount of money in their pockets.

Raja Khan, a driver for courier company Stuart, said his fuel expenses for two days have gone up from £40 last year to £60 now and this compelled him to work for 13 hours a day to make £100.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain suggested that the drivers are unfairly shouldering the burden of high fuel costs.

It’s crazy that precarious workers are having to shoulder the cost of this crisis. There needs to be an uplift in their fees that mirrors the uplift in the cost of doing their jobs,” Union president Alex Marshall told the newspaper.

London permission for Uber

In an unrelated development, Uber said it has received permission to operate in London under a new 30-month licence, ending a years-long battle with the city transport regulator over safety concerns.

"Uber has been granted a London private hire vehicle operator's licence for two and a half years," a spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL) said in a statement on Saturday (26).

In 2019, Uber lost its licence to carry paying passengers in London for the second time, and a year later the ride-hailing firm was granted an 18-month London licence after a legal battle to restore its operations. The US company first lost its licence in 2017.

Uber had previously claimed that it has assuaged safety concerns by improving insurance document verification systems and rolling out real-time identification.

The firm also struck a deal with Britain's GMB union last year, allowing it to represent up to 70,000 drivers.

Uber UK said it is making efforts to become a fully electric platform by 2025.

More For You

Sanjay Bhandari's extradition appeal opens in London
Sanjay Bhandari

Sanjay Bhandari's extradition appeal opens in London

SANJAY BHANDARI, a consultant in the defence sector wanted in India on alleged tax evasion and money-laundering charges, began an appeal in the High Court in London against his extradition order.

The 62-year-old businessman had won permission to appeal against a November 2022 Westminster Magistrates’ Court ruling clearing his extradition earlier this year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rupert Murdoch looks on as he walks on the day of the hearing on the contentious matter of succession of Rupert Murdoch's global television and publishing empire, in Reno, Nevada, US, September 23, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
Rupert Murdoch looks on as he walks on the day of the hearing on the contentious matter of succession of Rupert Murdoch's global television and publishing empire, in Reno, Nevada, US, September 23, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Murdoch's bid to secure eldest son's control of media empire fails

RUPERT MURDOCH’s attempt to secure control of his media empire for his eldest son, Lachlan, has reportedly failed, according to a US news report on Monday.

The Murdoch family, which oversees influential outlets like Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and various British and Australian media organisations, has often been compared to the fictional dynasty in the TV series Succession. Like the show, real-life disputes within the Murdoch family have centred on control of the business after Rupert Murdoch’s death.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kamlesh Pattni faces UK sanctions for illicit gold trade
Pattni stands accused of central involvement in the infamous Goldenberg scandal. (Representational image: iStock)

Kamlesh Pattni faces UK sanctions for illicit gold trade

THE UK and US have imposed financial sanctions on Kamlesh Pattni, a British-Kenyan businessman with a controversial financial history. The punitive measures target Pattni and four of his close family members, including his wife and brother-in-law, reported the BBC.

The sanctions, announced by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, will result in the immediate freezing of assets, representing a significant intervention in what officials describe as a complex network of illicit gold trading spanning multiple African nations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sanjay Malhotra speaks during the 67th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in New Delhi on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Sanjay Malhotra speaks during the 67th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in New Delhi on December 4, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

India appoints Sanjay Malhotra as new central bank governor

INDIA has appointed Sanjay Malhotra, a senior finance ministry bureaucrat, as the new governor of its central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The announcement was made on Monday, a day before the term of outgoing governor Shaktikanta Das was set to expire.

Keep ReadingShow less
The new order includes 10 widebody A350 planes and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft.
The new order includes 10 widebody A350 planes and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft.

Air India orders 100 more Airbus jets to expand fleet

AIR INDIA has placed an order for 100 more Airbus aircraft to expand its fleet and enhance connectivity, the Tata Group-owned carrier announced on Monday.

The new order includes 10 widebody A350 planes and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft. The purchase is in addition to the 470 aircraft Air India ordered last year from Airbus and Boeing, the airline said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less