Uber travel to UK returns to pre-pandemic levels Business News

Uber said passenger numbers in the UK had returned to pre-pandemic levels following the easing of restrictions on hotel businesses.

The rideshare app said the booking recovered faster than expected. For the week starting May 17, Uber’s total bookings in Europe reached over 80% of the level recorded during the same period in 2019.

Travel during morning commutes (5 a.m. to 9 a.m., Monday to Friday) has returned to 100% of 2019 figures as people begin to return to the office, the company said.

To support increased demand, Uber announced earlier this year that it plans to hire 20,000 additional drivers nationwide. This is in addition to the 70,000 drivers currently active on the Uber app across the UK.

After a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, Uber began complying with its legal obligation to guarantee drivers the national living wage, paid time off, and automatic enrollment in a pension plan.

The company remains under scrutiny on how it repays back wages to drivers who were denied worker rights before the policy change.

In May, Uber began paying out money owed to drivers for years of underpayment of minimum wage and vacation pay.

But under a controversial law introduced in 2015, companies can limit claims to two years.

This means that many Uber drivers who have been denied their statutory rights for several years are receiving less than expected.

Ash Kebriti, Uber Managing Director for the UK, said: “Following the rapid rollout of vaccines in the UK, people are traveling on the Uber platform just as much as they were before the pandemic.

“We are now looking to enroll 20,000 new drivers across the UK as cities continue to recover. All drivers who use Uber are guaranteed the minimum living wage, vacation pay and a pension. “