Earn on your own schedule

2022 Driver-partner Advisory Forum 2

22December,2022 / Australia

Advisory Forums were introduced in 2021 as a way to invite two-way feedback to better understand what’s going well and what issues driver-partners like yourself face while earning on the platform – and work collaboratively on solutions.
Based on the feedback and ideas shared by driver-partners and the Advisors throughout Open Hours, the Have Your Say Survey and the Forum in May, we have been able to develop solutions to improve the driver-partners experience in regards to Cancellations and Earner Model Preferences.

Positive changes

Reduced cancellations by driver-partners by reminding driver-partners with unusual cancellation behaviors that this may negatively impact the rider and driver-partner experience or breach Uber’s Community Guidelines.
Made updates to significantly improve the reliability of the surge pricing shown on your map.
We introduced rider-driver live location sharing 3 minutes before pickup ETA so that you can see when the rider is in an unsafe pick up location, communicate with the rider proactively and find each other faster!
While we are still working on long-pickup solutions, we hope the temporary fuel assistance will help alleviate the cost of fuel both en route to pickup and on-trip.
As the government plans reforms to laws governing gig work, we are advocating for improved standards for all gig workers, and we signed with the Transport Workers Union focused on establishing an industry wide safety net for driver-partners like you, while protecting the flexibility you value most.

Recently, Uber in partnership with RPS Group held the second Earners Advisory Forum of 2022 with 14 driver-partner Advisors from across Australia. Advisors shared with us their feedback on a range of topics including Navigation, Driver-partner Ratings & Quality and Uber Pro Partnership & Recognition. These topics were collectively voted by the Advisors and the driver-partner community as the areas you most want to share your feedback on with us.

Thank you to the 523 driver-partners that shared their views via the Have Your Say survey and the 134 driver-partners that spoke directly to an Advisor of their choice via Open Hours. Sharing these insights helped the Advisors to better understand and communicate the challenges driver-partners, like yourself, face in regards to the chosen topics and how we can best work to improve the experience for all driver-partners.

In the Forum, the Advisors brought your diverse perspectives to the discussion and helped provide context and real-life examples for the Uber team. The following were the most notable callouts for each of the chosen topics:

Navigation

Navigation needs to better reflect local and real time updates.
Driver-partners should be able to report a navigation/map issue to Uber and make recommendations easily to improve navigation based on their local knowledge.
Rider education is key, riders need to be reminded when they are dropping the pin in a location that’s difficult for the driver-partner to pull over and be on time for pick ups.

Driver-partner ratings and quality

Driver-partners take a lot of pride with their ratings and want to feel in control of their ratings.
Driver-partners want transparency on feedback provided by riders and use this to improve their services.
Driver-partners want riders to be better educated about appropriate behaviour and expectations.

Uber Pro, partnerhips & recognition

There is desire for additional partnerships and reward offerings including monetary based rewards, car insurance, and car servicing.
Some driver-partners do not feel there is enough recognition or acknowledgement of milestones achieved while driving with Uber.
Driver-partners believe there should be some fundamental changes to the Uber Pro program including reviewing different times of day and potential trip types that warrant additional Pro points.

Thank you to our 14 Advisors and to all the driver-partners who participated in the Open Hours and Have Your Say Survey. Based on your feedback and insights, we have been able to develop recommendations and priorities based on these discussions, to help improve the driver-partner experience and we are already working on bringing those recommendations to life. We also plan to share an update on our progress early next year and some more information on how you can get involved and share your feedback.

As the term of the current 14 Advisors draws to an end, we want to thank all the Advisors who represented their community and helped Uber to improve the platform via participating in the last two years. We are so grateful that they chose to partner with Uber and advocate for their driver-partner community and we are looking forward to meeting new faces next year! Stay tuned for further communications on how you can nominate yourself to represent your community as an Uber Advisor in early 2023.

Frequently asked questions

How do the Advisory Forums work?
Twice a year, 14 driver-partner Advisors will meet with members of the Uber operations and leadership teams to give feedback, share their ideas for solutions and advocate for the interests of their fellow driver-partners. Advisors will inform what issues and topics are discussed – to make sure we’re working on the things that matter most to you.

Learn more about Advisory Forums
Why does this matter to me?
Since launching in 2021, Advisory Forums have helped with the implementation of a number of positive changes on the platform, including base fare increase across Australia; improvements to support services; reduced driver-partner cancellations; advocating for legislation that is tailored to app-work and protects flexibility whilst guaranteeing minimum standards and protections; and the list goes on. We acknowledge that there is still more that could be improved, but we are committed to continuing to build a better experience for all driver-partners. That’s why your feedback is so important.
How can I participate in future Advisory Forums?
RPS will be selecting new Advisors in early 2023, stay tuned for further communications on how you can nominate yourself to Represent your community as an Uber Advisor. Furthermore, there are other ways for you to share your feedback by filling out the Have Your Say Survey or by booking and attending an Open Hours session to speak to one of the Advisors directly on the selected topic(s) in the lead up to the Advisory Forums!