Uber drivers in Zurich to strike on Monday
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Anyone trying to book an Uber in Zurich next Monday, October 20, will likely find it difficult to get a ride: drivers for the ridesharing service have said they will strike to protest against working conditions and low pay.
Zurich Uber drivers to refuse ride requests on Monday, October 20
As Blick reports, citing a letter circulated among Uber drivers in Zurich, up to 1.000 Uber drivers are expected to gather at the Albisgütli carpark on Monday morning and are planning to refuse ride requests all day.
According to the letter, the reason for the protest is “falling fares, rising operating costs, and increasing competition from drivers from other cantons and from other European countries.”
Competition with Bolt is driving down prices
The US-based Uber is currently involved in a price war with its Estonian competitor, Bolt, which started offering taxi services in Zurich in May 2024. With Bolt marketing itself as “like Uber, but a bit cheaper”, Uber has responded by cutting prices in Zurich, and therefore reducing driver incomes, since Uber dictates how much they can charge per ride.
“The power struggle between Uber and Bolt is being waged on the backs of drivers,” Daniel Zoricic of the Syna union told Blick.
Editor in chief at IamExpat Media