The Black Box fare system is Uber’s AI-driven pricing system. For drivers, it is good on the outside, but evil on the inside. This is why they are currently protesting against it. Here’s the scoop.
Irate drivers
The protests are not being held over social, but in-person. The drivers are out there, decrying the faulty payment system.
They are holding signs that say, “End Uber’s inequality machine,” “Drivers demand transparency,” and graphic designs airing their concerns, plus more.
This pricing system, dubbed “the Black Box,” has been concluded to be secretive. Since it is driven by artificial intelligence, it lowers drivers’ wages, causing confusion and uncertainties. What’s worse, it could even undermine public safety to boost profits to record levels.
The accusations from the drivers are real, since they are based on new reports that served over 2,500 Uber drivers, prompting them to protest since July 1st outside Uber’s San Francisco headquarters.
Hurting their income
Furthermore, for these drivers, the company’s opaque fare pricing system has been hurting their salaries and well-being.
Apparently, this AI-driven and algorithmic fare pricing model has been in existence since July 22nd as “upfront pricing,” drawing upon large volumes of data gathered from drivers and passengers using the app. The system is also capable of offering different prices for different drivers. Seems unfair if the Ridesharing Forum team will look at it.
Uber ignores them
Drivers have carried out independent experiments to circumvent this system, such as leaving their phones on tables while the Uber app is activated to combat the algorithm.
For experts, these algorithmic discrepancies are “discrimination,” since apps consider the history of individual drivers’ activity to find out how small a specific driver is willing to get paid to pick up a ride.
You might not this, but Uber is not recognizing those protests. Its spokesperson Zahid Arab wrote in their email to this site, “This one-sided narrative is out of touch with how the Uber platform really works. Drivers aren’t punished for turning down trips — they have full control, and Upfront Pricing lets them decide what’s worth their time. The report’s methodology is vague, the sample is unrepresentative, and the conclusions seem driven more by agenda than by evidence.”
‘Manipulating’
Business specialists are also not in favor of the AI-driven system, with them saying “Uber now only has to pay the minimum any driver will accept for each trip,” “We have a black box. They don’t know what’s going on inside there. They just know that what they’re getting is not equal pay for equal work,” and “Drivers don’t know how the app may be manipulating their pay and the need for transparency is part of it.”
Others are saying the system is squeezing drivers, adding how driving for Uber, just like with this system, is gradually feeling like gambling. Seriously?
What do you think? Sign up for your account today on this Ridesharing Forum site to participate in the discussions.