To address drivers` dissatisfaction with working conditions and pay, Uber, a shared travel company, is raising travel costs in Melbourne, the Times reported.
As of Friday, Melbourne`s UberX drivers have raised their fees from $1 to $1.15 per kilometer, compared with 35 cents per minute when the car doesn`t start.
The base cost of $2 and the predetermined cost of 55 cents have not changed. Uber, on the other hand, will continue to withdraw 20-25% of the fees.
At that rate, Fairfax Media found that Melbourne`s Uber trip, which would have cost 19.77 yuan, now costs 21.22 yuan.
Price increases also apply to other cities in UberXL and Select,.
Uber has recently faced complaints from drivers about pay and working conditions, and raising prices is a reform measure.
Lucas Groeneveld, general manager of Uber in Victoria, said they had been receiving feedback that Uber was a very challenging thing to drive and that the price increase was a decision made in response to feedback from drivers.
"We make changes so that drivers get paid for working hours and hard work."
Last month, Uber also pulled out of the new rules and paid a fee if passengers kept the driver waiting for more than two minutes. The "no, thank you" button on the app makes it easier for drivers to refuse to work, while "long-distance travel notification" can remind drivers that the trip will take more than 45 minutes.
The Fair work Commission is known to have been investigating whether Uber`s driver contract, which is a freelance contractor rather than an employee, violated workplace laws.
Rideshare Drivers United is an organization dedicated to better working conditions for drivers. They said the new rules were also influenced by a fair work commission investigation in the hope that authorities would realize that drivers have the right to take control of their work, not just Uber employees.
