Preprint
French
ID: <
10670/1.sl7zyz>
Abstract
The promoters of ‘uberisation’ are keen to promote the allegedly emanating benefits of self-employment fostered by the deployment of digital platforms. However, the survey of VTC drivers shows that, on the contrary, it is accompanied by an increase in their dependence. ‘High-end’ drivers tend, initially, to be marginalised in favour of the expansion of ‘app’ drivers. While the former manage to escape from platforms to secure favourable working and pay conditions, the latter are characterised, conversely, by their high dependence on platforms, resulting in degraded working and pay conditions. Uber’s quasi-monopolistic position on the VTC market reinforces that dependence by creating the figure of the ‘Uber’ driver for whom the platform acts as an employer.