After having temporarily suspended our PHV operations in Geneva on June 4, 2022, we have had many challenging yet constructive discussions about how PHV drivers in Geneva can resume their activity.

In collaboration with the Département de l’économie et de l’emploi (DEE) and Service de police du commerce et de lutte contre le travail au noir (PCTN), we have come to an agreement where PHV drivers in Geneva can shortly resume their activities under a scenario where some of them who wish to would become employees of independent, Swiss partner companies, registered as transportation companies under the “Loi sur les taxis et les voitures de transport avec chauffeur” (LTVTC). They will guarantee drivers all social security payments, minimum salary and other benefits. They will also hold all the rights and responsibilities towards their employees (eg. with regards to safety protocols, working hours, deactivations etc) and will be subject to the control of PCTN. 

Since the majority of drivers have clearly expressed their wish to remain independent, to keep their flexibility as well as the ability to be their own boss (both in direct surveys and also in a recent petition), we expect that some drivers will not be willing to become employees. Nevertheless, we will do our best to support the independent partner companies, so that those who want to become employees can do so as quickly as possible.

We expect our PHV services to be back in the next days, once a sufficient number of drivers will have been employed by a partner company, and hope that the reliability of the service will gradually increase.

We know that the vast majority of drivers across the country want to remain independent, to use the app flexibly, and to be their own boss. In Geneva, they will no longer have these options, which is why we are not planning such a restrictive setup in other cantons for now. Based on our experiences with Uber Eats in Geneva, we have also seen that such a forced change has various negative consequences for all parties. We therefore believe that drivers should have the freedom to choose how and under what status they want to work, and we will do our best to provide them with the best possible options that combine flexibility and protection. 

In addition, this agreement only applies to the canton of Geneva, where there is a specific local transportation regulation (LTVTC). It will not be applied to the rest of Switzerland, where we have been operating under an updated model – which had not been considered by the case in Geneva and by the Federal Tribunal. In 2020, Uber has made significant changes to its app, by launching several features for greater freedom of choice, flexibility and entrepreneurial autonomy for drivers. These include functions that enable more transparency in the selection of trips, the ability to determine their own fares in the app, and features to build their own customer base and accept pre-scheduled trips. As self-employed entrepreneurs, drivers today have more liberty to set their own prices, select trips they want to accept, build their own clientele, and plan their schedule ahead of time.

This change will have no implications on our Uber Eats operations in Geneva. Since September 2020, Uber Eats has already been working with third-party fleet companies that directly employ couriers. Its main partner Chaskis operates under a CCT that was developed in collaboration with Syndicom. 

We are fully aware of the fact that the last week has been very difficult for PHV drivers in Geneva, and deeply regret this. If they decide to resume their activities under the new setup, they will be able to benefit from a reduced service fee (which Uber will extend to the partner companies for one month), as well as potentially higher prices due to the high demand of riders with fewer drivers on the road.

Jean-Pascal Aribot, General Manager, Uber Switzerland: “While we are very happy to be back in Geneva, we also deeply regret the inconveniences that the interruption of our PHV services has caused. We are fully determined to support our partner companies and their drivers, to allow riders to move safely and affordably again, and to be a good partner to Geneva and other cities and authorities in Switzerland.”