Private hire drivers working for Veezu across Wigan, Liverpool and St Helens walked off the job today in a co-ordinated 24-hour strike, leaving passengers across the region without their usual ride option.
The action began at 6am on Wednesday 8 July and is due to run until 6am the following morning, with drivers refusing to log into the app or accept any bookings for the full 24 hours.
At the heart of the dispute is Veezu’s decision to bring in a 20 per cent commission rate on driver earnings. Drivers say the change, combined with rising fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and the cost of specialist taxi insurance, has left many of them working for next to nothing.
Speaking on behalf of the striking drivers, one representative said they were local, hard-working people simply trying to earn an honest living, but that the commission hike was stripping away their livelihoods. Drivers say they’ve tried repeatedly to negotiate a fairer deal with Veezu management, but feel their concerns have been ignored.
With hundreds of drivers taking part, the walkout is expected to cause real disruption across Merseyside and Wigan, hitting the morning and evening commute, school runs and airport transfers particularly hard.
Despite the inconvenience to passengers, the drivers involved say they’re genuinely sorry for the disruption but felt they had no other option left. They’re calling on Veezu to get back around the table and agree a commission structure that reflects the realities of the job.
It’s not the first time Veezu’s commission structure has caused friction. Similar disputes have flared up elsewhere in the country over the past year or so, with drivers in Telford and Sheffield also raising concerns about rising charges eating into their take-home pay.
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