People still booking Ubers in UK despite downturn

Demand for Uber journeys successful the UK is inactive strong, contempt the soaring costs of living, the caller brag of Uber UK has said.

Andrew Brem joined Uber UK successful April.

Uber is looking to presumption itself arsenic a "super-app" for question - app users tin present besides publication bid and manager tickets and, successful Liverpool, from rival taxi companies.

But Mr Brem ruled retired an Uber railway takeover, saying the institution was not funny successful moving a obstruction service.

"I don't spot america driving trains oregon operating bid companies oregon coaches," helium said.

"We volition instrumentality to making it super-simple for riders to bash the extremity to-end journey."

As the outgo of surviving soared, Mr Brem said, much radical whitethorn springiness up their ain vehicles.

"It is going to beryllium pugnacious for radical but I expect request for question to beryllium reasonably strong," helium said.

"I haven't seen a simplification successful request for Uber rides yet,

"I'm seeing rather beardown demand.

"And the beardown request tends to pull much radical to travel and thrust connected the platform.

"We person nary plans to laic immoderate anyone disconnected astatine this moment.

"Things are going reasonably well."

There are presently much than 85,000 drivers connected Uber's books and it operates successful astir 60 UK towns and cities.

The US-based exertion institution launched successful the UK 10 years agone this month, instantly unleashing a tempest of controversy.

It was accused of trying to destruct the taxi sector, with its aggressively debased fares, and has clashed respective times implicit the years with workers' unions implicit operator rights - not conscionable successful the UK.

For a agelong time, Uber argued its drivers were self-employed - but since March 2021, it has had to connection worker benefits, including minimum wage, sick wage and a pension.

And aft years of being synonymous with ruthless disruption and disregard for rules and regulation, the institution is truly trying to rebrand itself arsenic "human".

"On [the Uber] platform, you tin really speech to the idiosyncratic who's driving - and the operator tin speech to the idiosyncratic riding," Mr Brem said.

"For me, that benignant of intersection betwixt integer and carnal is truly unsocial - and a monolithic affirmative to the job."