Fri, 21 Mar 2025

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 Uber offers 20 hours of free childcare in bid to lure female drivers

A union says it should instead pay drivers more so they can take time off with their families.

* Every Uber driver in the UK will be eligible for 20 hours of free childcare under a new scheme.
* The childcare allowance can be used through a nannying and babysitting app called Bubble, and drivers can use it whenever they want, not just when working for Uber.
* The scheme is intended to attract more women onto the Uber platform, with around 96% of drivers who trialed the free childcare saying it made it easier to take on work.
* However, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has criticized the move as a "cynical PR stunt" and called for higher pay for drivers instead of just childcare support.
* Uber UK General Manager Andrew Brem expects existing drivers to initially use the free childcare, with the aim of getting them into the habit of doing so.
* The scheme will be open until the end of 2025, after which its future will be assessed.
* Uber has also faced criticism over low pay for drivers and has been involved in strike action in recent months.
  >>