Uber Has An Interesting Way Of Treating Its "Partners"

Uber spends almost as much time getting deserved bad press as Donald Trump these days, and that is not a good place to be. Today’s Uber atrocity is the company’s plan to compete with their own Uber drivers, or “partners” as Uber euphemistically calls them, in Kenya by offering a lower cost solution.

In the highly competitive market of Nairobi, Uber is facing stiff competition from other similar providers like Taxify and Little Cab. Because of that competition, Uber is offering a new service that will offer even cheaper Uber rides in cars that are older and in worse condition than the current Uber rules allow. Of course, this cheaper alternative totally undercuts their existing drivers.

But it is actually worse than just offering a service that competes with its own existing drivers. Many of the Uber drivers in Kenya got involved because Uber sponsored its drivers with certain earnings history to get auto loans. In essence, these drivers need to maintain their Uber earnings until that loan is paid off in order to keep their car, and therefore their livelihood, which usually takes about three years.

So Uber has actually encouraged their drivers to take out these car loans and is now sabotaging those drivers’ ability to pay off that loan. But that’s pretty much the way Uber always treats its “partners”. Just ask Pittsburgh.