Q&A
Potential improvements to Uber's deactivation process
3:29:18
·
4 min
Council Member Brooks-Powers suggests implementing a grace period for easily fixable issues before driver deactivation. Josh Gold agrees and discusses some improvements Uber has already made.
- A grace period for easily fixable issues could help prevent unnecessary deactivations
- Uber has implemented a program allowing drivers to take drug tests at Uber's expense to counter false accusations
- There's room for collaboration with the industry to address easily fixable issues and minimize driver downtime
- Some deactivations for egregious issues may not be eligible for a grace period
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:29:18
Offline, I'd like to understand this a little bit more granularly on that piece.
3:29:23
And when I hear that many drivers are finding success getting reactivated, I have to wonder why they were deactivated in the first place.
3:29:32
Going back to deactivation.
3:29:34
Sorry.
3:29:34
I'm going back and forth with you.
3:29:36
Is there a problem with like, do you think that sometimes maybe Uber maybe too quick to deactivate drivers?
3:29:45
And should there be, like, a, like, a grace period in a sense for, like, the ease of easily fixable problems that drivers can address before getting deactivated?
3:29:56
So for example, Like you said, like, it it it may be a matter of the insurance or the drug test.
3:30:07
Like, something that they can upload to your point to remedy is is there an opportunity to establish, like, a grace period for those more easily fixable offenses versus because there are some drivers that you heard earlier that spoke and said that they've been, like, deactivated for a long period of time to be able to address those challenges.
Josh Gold
3:30:34
I I do think that's a good idea.
3:30:36
And there are some steps where our processes weren't great early on.
3:30:41
One is, there are drivers who, you know, after multiple accusations of drug use, were deactivated.
3:30:49
What we instituted And this was due to the IDG process actually.
3:30:53
This was brought to our attention there.
3:30:56
We instituted a program where a driver can go take a drug test at Uber's expense and be reactivated to counter multiple accusations.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:31:05
I believe they're able to do it at the IDG office.
3:31:07
Right?
Josh Gold
3:31:08
I don't I think it's LabCorp.
3:31:09
I'm not from LabCorp, but it's it's one of the national
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:31:12
I know they have some services because I've visited their office before.
Josh Gold
3:31:15
Yeah.
3:31:15
Mhmm.
3:31:15
But that that was a positive step.
3:31:17
So they if you're falsely accused, and then we can go back to those riders who made those false accusations and deactivate them from the platform.
3:31:24
And so, you know, I do think that for some, you know, deactivations, that are more egregious in in nature.
Shekar Krishnan
3:31:33
Mhmm.
Josh Gold
3:31:34
There may not be an opportunity for a grace period, but I do think for others, there should be.
3:31:38
And there It'd
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:31:39
it'd be great, like, to work collaboratively with the industry to see how we can address the easily fixable ones, especially because what we don't want is drivers not being able to provide for their families, especially if it's to your point, as you're saying right now, there are some that are easily fixable.
3:31:57
So I want to understand which ones would be in that category?
3:32:01
And how quickly can this, you know, be remedied?
3:32:04
Is it a matter of a 12 hour turnaround or a 24 hour turnaround versus 6 months and more, which I think creates a challenge for folks because a lot of these drivers have to pay for their cars, their insurance, and then the bills don't stop just because they're on pause with Uber.
3:32:24
So that is important as well, but I do appreciate the openness about that.
3:32:30
And in terms of the TWU members, thank you for coming out.
3:32:37
I'm glad you come from Southeast Queen.
3:32:39
So now we can have a conversation apples to apples.
3:32:43
So from your from your vantage point, I know we have a whole conversation, like I said earlier, in terms of the Queen's bus redesign in particular, which I have been advocating for increase bus service to have more buses because I know there's some routes that have a lot of crowding.
3:33:02
For example, there are other areas that need access to bus stops, and then we wanna kind of break down having to transfer so many times on the buses.
3:33:16
But do you agree that there are still some parts of the community that through the bus re redesign will still likely not be covered by a bus route in itself.
3:33:28
Just turn on the mic.
3:33:29
I'm sorry.