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If you actually caught Ubers and talked to the drivers I don't think you'd compare the system to zero hours contracts (and I don't think they'd agree that it is a gross form of exploitation either).
Fox-
Strange, the tribunal courts found that it is exactly the case. It doesn't matter what uber or the drivers thinks when it's shown with evidence in court that they are not self-employed.
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Yes, I don't doubt that many feel like that. Having a job with regular income, and having some degree of choice over your hours, is likely to be viewed positively.
But drivers could probably do better. What do you think they would say if you were to offer them a contract, some benefits (e.g. annual leave and sick pay), and also have employer NI (and tax) payments made on their behalf, etc.
Uber isn't offering them that. For that to happen Uber would need to acknowledge their responsibilities as employers, and increase their (artificially supressed) prices to cover the additional costs.
Drivers should be able to choose to a job with those kinds of benefits, but by the time Uber has forced most of the competition out of business, those types of roles probably won't exist anymore.
Regulations (and the like) get a bad press, and while some are frustrating, and they usually result in extra costs for businesses, they are nonetheless often aimed at protecting the most vulnerable in society. That's probably why the Tories are rubbing their hands with glee at the potential of the post-Brexit 'bonfire of regulations'!
laner
boristrump
I have in the past, but not often and I stopped entirely last year. When I need a taxi I accept the costs of getting a black cab. I don't buy from Amazon either. I try and select goods and services that aren't based on gross forms of exploitation, but it is hard to avoid in our society.