Uber riders were quick to talk about deleting the Uber app in response to last week's privacy concerns and backlash. But drivers also said they would take a stand and leave the app behind, a recent survey found.
Almost half of Uber drivers said in a survey that they would drive less or not at all for Uber after last week's public-relations fiasco, which began with a Buzzfeed report of an Uber executive's statements at a dinner and escalated into allegations of investor conspiracy and broad discussions of the app's privacy policy. The survey, shared exclusively with FORBES, was done by Sherpa, an analytics platform for Uber and Lyft drivers, and asked 184 Uber drivers how they felt about the company and whether they would drive less for it given the recent news.
Of the survey respondents, 32% said they would drive less and 13% said they would stop driving; 55% said they were unsure or wouldn't change their driving habits. The survey also asked them to rate Uber from 1 ("disdain for") to 5 ("in love with). The 1 rating got the most votes. The survey notably didn't offer an option for "driving more," which could offer a skewed picture of driver sentiment.
Drivers, however, have more on their mind than Uber's recent gaffes and privacy concerns. When asked in the survey what they thought about driving for the company now, they pointed to the daily grind of the work and the way they feel they can't leave it behind. It may not be the greatest job, and it may be for a company whose ethics they don't admire, but it's an income -- and it can't easily be tossed aside. "I need the work," one driver wrote in the survey.
"Uber nickle and dimes its drivers," another driver said. "A very shady company that I wouldn't work for if I had another choice."
For others, it was just another reason to be frustrated with the company, which fires them for little reason (including arbitrary five-star ratings), charges them for basics like driver training and cuts into their earnings with fare drops. A few of the anonymous driver responses:
"Although Uber is a great way to make money on the side, you have to work an enormous [number] of hours to make a profit."
"My issues with Uber's tactics as a company started before this. This only adds to my frustration with them."
"I would give Uber three stars. Any driver knows what that means."
But for some drivers, tossing aside an app for moral reasons is a luxury -- or silly, given that many riders will still keep using it.
"I am an independent contractor. Uber's PR problems are of no concern to me. When people stop using Uber, I will quit. Until then I will drive."
Hard numbers on how many riders or drivers deleted the app are not easily available. But the app did drop in its download-popularity rankings, and users who talked online about the company showed overall low sentiment scores, according to App Annie and Topsy, respectively.
