ABSTRACT

Due to its global standards and brand recognition, Uber has become an important form of transportation and is now found throughout the world. It has played a role in transforming local mobilities in many cities, particularly those lacking efficient public transportation options. Uber has played a particularly important role in increasing mobilities in places with security concerns, such as South Africa, due to their competitive rates, the accountability of drivers, and their innovative security features. Uber promotes itself as a peer-to-peer platform that connects drivers to riders, calling drivers ‘partners’, and vehemently dismissing any claims that it is an employer. The company advocates the ability of Uber to increase economic upliftment, particularly in the Global South. South Africa has staggering urban un-and-underemployment rates and, therefore, Uber can be seen as a potential tool for job creation or a means of supplementing low and inconsistent wages. A critical analysis of these claims demonstrates the manner in which Uber has emerged as an employment mechanism in South Africa within a ‘decent work’ framework. The findings are based on an analysis of detailed questionnaires distributed to Uber drivers based in South Africa as well as ethnographic research. It also draws on secondary sources, such as driver forums, newspaper articles and the Uber South Africa website. The findings demonstrate the many challenges faced by Uber drivers such as long working hours, low fares, subcontracting of drivers and concerns over driver safety. The paper introduces primary research in the form of driver surveys and questions the discourse propagated by the company as a mechanism for economic upliftment. In particular, the results show that working for Uber, according to these results, should not be considered decent work.

摘要

由于其全球标准和品牌知名度，优步已成为一种重要的交通方式，现已遍布全球。它在改变许多城市的当地交通方面发挥了作用，尤其是那些缺乏高效公共交通选择的城市。由于具有竞争力的价格、司机的问责制以及创新的安全功能，优步在提高南非等存在安全问题的地方的流动性方面发挥了特别重要的作用。优步将自己宣传为一个点对点平台，将司机与乘客联系起来，称司机为“合作伙伴”，并强烈驳斥任何声称它是雇主的说法。该公司提倡优步提升经济发展的能力，尤其是在全球南方。南非的城市失业率和就业不足率惊人，因此，优步可以被视为创造就业机会的潜在工具，或者是一种补充低工资和不一致工资的手段。对这些说法的批判性分析证明了优步在“体面工作”框架内成为南非就业机制的方式。调查结果基于对分发给南非优步司机的详细问卷调查以及民族志研究的分析。它还利用二手资源，例如司机论坛、报纸文章和优步南非网站。调查结果表明，优步司机面临许多挑战，例如工作时间长、票价低、司机分包以及对司机安全的担忧。本文以驾驶员调查的形式介绍了初步研究，并对公司宣传的作为经济提升机制的言论提出了质疑。特别是，结果表明，根据这些结果，为优步工作不应被视为体面工作。