Year in Review: Listening and Fixing

What driver-partners and delivery people say and do matters most. In 2021, their feedback changed and improved the Uber platform in ways both big and small. And this year, Uber employees – from executives, product managers, engineers and our CEO Dara –  chose to sign up to drive or deliver and hit the road.

In 2022, we want to hear from driver partners and delivery people even more, so we can put their ideas to work.

Listening and Fixing

2021 was a year of listening and walking (or driving) in driver partner and delivery people’s shoes — the more we listened to them, the more we were able to make changes.

Uber employees in some countries —including our CEO Dara— chose to drive and deliver on their own time and provided feedback about their experiences using the platform. That feedback resulted in more than 300 fixes that meaningfully improved the driver partner and delivery person experience.

At the start of the year, we asked every person that chooses to earn using the Uber platform in ANZ to tell us what’s working, what’s not, and how we can improve the Uber app experience. The Uber ANZ Voice Survey received more than 19,000 responses, and while 85% were satisfied with their experience earning on the Uber app, there were some areas for improvement. Soon after receiving this feedback, we took action on reinstating phone support for driver partners and delivery people. We also enhanced our processes  to provide greater transparency of our policies for driver-partners and delivery people who lose access to their account.

Another key change we’ve made this year is introducing Uber Advisory Forums, to make sure that we continue to listen to the feedback of those that earn with our platform. Out of 8,000 applicants, 28 were randomly selected; 14 from the delivery community and 14 representing driver-partners. Advisory members helped select the topics for each forum and share feedback and suggested solutions with the Uber ANZ team leaders in attendance. These forums are already playing a crucial part in building the future for Uber in Australia and New Zealand. 

Saying Thank You

It has been a top priority to ensure that employees connecting with driver partners and delivery people and hearing about their experiences first hand. As we head into the holiday season, we wanted to offer Uber employees another way to connect with driver partners and delivery people and thank them for partnering with us this year. That’s why, during the week of December 14th, we hosted our first-ever Appreciation Phone Bank to thank driver partners and delivery people for using the Uber platform to earn this year. Employees at all levels – from Dara and the entire Executive Team – volunteered and in Australia and New Zealand, more than 1500 calls were made.

Over on our social media channels, we’re also acknowledging the stories of the legendary driver partners and delivery people that kept us connected this year, helping essential workers commute safely, driving people to and from vaccination appointments, and delivering favourite meals and essentials. 

Navigating the COVID landscape

As restrictions and public health orders evolved and changed across each state and territory, our focus has remained on keeping those who drive and deliver with the Uber platform informed and safe. This has included establishing a dedicated COVID response team who monitor for updates in each state, and provide regular updates for driver partners and delivery people on what public health orders and government guidelines mean for them. For driver-partners who were confined to Sydney’s high risk Local Government Areas (LGAs), we developed a tech solution to enable them to continue earning safely using the Uber platform, without breaching the NSW public health order. And delivered hampers and Uber Eats vouchers to say thank you on behalf of the community  to some drivers-partners in those areas. 

We’re continuously monitoring COVID-19 around the world and working to help keep those who rely on the Uber platform healthy and safe.

Prioritising Delivery Safety

This year, we have accelerated our product roadmap in support of safe delivery. We launched a range of new safety initiatives aimed at helping delivery people stay safe on our roads, including the roll out of personal protective equipment, new in-app tech features and education modules which have been built specifically for the Australian market.

Soon after, with other industry platforms, we launched the National Food Delivery Safety Principles, outlining the standards of practice that food delivery platforms have committed to, to help ensure the ongoing safety of food delivery people. We remain committed to working with the Government, partners and experts in the industry to raise the bar for Online Food Delivery safety.

Education and Career Opportunities

We know using the Uber platform may be a temporary stop on someone’s career journey and we want to give them new resources that can help them achieve their dreams. In July, Dara announced that we were giving driver partners and couriers around the world the opportunity to learn a new language—for free and fully integrated in the Driver app through a partnership with Rosetta Stone. 

Driver-partners and delivery people can also now access achievement letters showcasing the number of trips completed on the app, and their rating, which they can use for other opportunities, including with future employers. 

Those that earn with our platform are the power behind every ride, every meal and every essential item that is ordered through the Uber app. As we head into 2022, we want to keep listening to and doing more for the millions of people who make the Uber platform work. We look forward to sharing new initiatives in the New Year!