Roses are red, violets are blue. This Valentine's Day there’s no Uber for you.

14 February 2025, 16:53

Today I will be joining thousands of drivers across the UK logging off apps like Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee. Not because I don’t want to work. Not because I have a Valentine's date. But because enough is enough.

For years, drivers like me have been working increasingly long hours for less and less pay. Many of us are at breaking point. That’s why this Valentine’s Day, a day on which these apps would usually be raking in millions, thousands of drivers across the UK are taking a stand. My union, the IWGB, has joined forces with the PHDA in Birmingham, the LTDG in Leicester, and many other driver groups around the UK for a mass log off. Because we simply cannot keep working under these conditions.

I’ve been driving for Uber and Bolt for nearly 6 years. Let me put it plainly: I cannot afford to live on what I earn anymore. My mortgage has gone up. My bills are through the roof. Fuel prices remain high, and the cost of maintaining my vehicle is staggering. After a 12 hour day of driving, I often find myself struggling to break even. I’m working 80 hours a week just to survive. I know many drivers who miss out on spending any time with their families because they’re desperately trying to earn enough to feed them. The stress of scraping by, the exhaustion of working unsafe hours, and the constant fear that one bad week could push me into financial ruin is destroying me.

It’s no coincidence that Uber recently announced record profits—their most successful quarter yet. Where do its billions in profit come from? It comes from me, from my fellow drivers, from the long hours we work and the pitiful fares we’re paid. It comes from us taking home less and less while Uber, Bolt, and Addison Lee hike up their commission. The government has failed to protect drivers, leaving us at the mercy of these apps - it’s now up to us to fight back. 

We need fair pay, we need rights that actually improve our working conditions and we need safety measures to protect us from all of the risks of the job. Without us, there is no Uber, no Bolt, no Addison Lee. This is about fighting for a fairer tomorrow - not just for drivers but for everyone - and the movement is growing stronger every day.

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Nader Awaad is an Uber and Bolt driver and Chair of the IWGB Private Hire Drivers Branch.

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