Amsterdam: Uber drivers from across Europe have filed a class action lawsuit against the US ride share giant, claiming it violated privacy laws and used dynamic pricing algorithms to lower their revenue.
Worker Info Exchange International said it was representing several thousand Uber drivers in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Romania in the action registered in an Amsterdam court on Wednesday.
"We have launched a new collective action against Uber over its unfair dynamic pay system to stop algorithmic wage cuts and secure compensation for the damages drivers have suffered," the WIE said in a statement.
It said dynamic pricing changes "quietly" made since 2020 had "shifted risk onto drivers while allowing Uber to increase its hidden commission, in some cases taking nearly half of the fare".
Under dynamic pricing, businesses alter the price of a product or service according to demand.
A study by the Oxera consultancy for WIE International found that 66 percent of Uber drivers in Britain suffered a loss of an average 5,337 pounds ($7,202) a year in income through the dynamic pricing changes.
In the Netherlands, 48 percent of drivers had lost an average 7,500 euros ($8,700) a year.
According to WIE International, Uber also illegally used drivers' personal data for "machine learning purposes", and illegally transferred personal data to the United States between August 2021 and November 2023.
The case was launched in the Netherlands as that is Uber's European headquarters. The company did not immediately comment.
The Netherlands' digital protection authority last month fined Uber 825 million euros for its handling of driver accounts. Uber said it would appeal.
