Introduction
Platform business models have become increasingly popular and emerged with the introduction of the internet (Rani and Dhir, 2020). One area that has benefited from this technology is the taxi industry. Over a decade ago, in the early 2010s, platforms such as Uber and Lyft first started providing what is known as a ride-hail service to customers who could book their taxi service via their phone app (Burns, 2018). Since then, such hail-rising apps have become a global industry with perhaps the most well-known, Uber, bringing in a revenue of $18.3 billion in 2021 (Iqbal, 2022). Much like almost every other industry, Uber and its competitors were hard hit during the global coronavirus pandemic and because of the virus, the organisation was unable to function normally – affecting the lives and livelihoods of its many workers across the globe.
Although a lot of research has focused on the working conditions of Uber drivers and other individuals characterised as working in the gig economy (e.g Berger, Frey, Levin, and Danda, 2019), and further studies still have considered the financial impact of the pandemic on the hail riding industry (e.g. Kaur, 2021), very little research has looked at the mental health impacts of the pandemic of those who work for these companies. As such, this dissertation focuses on the individual level, using a qualitative interview study to explore the effects of the pandemic on London based Uber drivers affected by the global emergency. The purpose of the study is to understand the factors affecting the mental health of drivers and how these challenges were experienced.
Background to the study
UBER is an online ride hailing platform which is enabling business in a taxi industry.
Using modern technology and communication devices, users and service providers can connect via digital app, trough communication devices, mainly smart phones.
Company has been found in March 2009 in the San Francisco USA, co-founders were Garett Camp and Travis Kalanick. March 20210 Company launch the first app where riders could book a cab by pressing a button on the phone. Also, ride was cheaper 1.5 time than a regular cab. Soon it become popular, and company expanded across the globe. Today Uber is present in 72 countries and more than 10.00 cities. In London is present since 2012 and it has 40.000 licenced drivers and 76% market share.(trends. Edison. Tech research 2021).
Literature review
Introduction
Beyond physical health, the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on mental health of many individuals. The mental health charity MIND reported that a third of people in the UK had experienced a worsening of their mental health because of the pandemic (MIND, 2021). Naturally, much of the research on pandemic-linked mental health has focused on frontline workers, who have had to directly deal with the consequences of this health emergency (e.g. van ver Goot et al., 2021). For example, Greenberg and Tracy (2020) focused on mental healthcare workers in China and found that nurses may be at higher risk of detrimental health outcomes. Newman, Jeve, and Majumder (2021) focused on British healthcare workers in the NHS and revealed them to have both psychological and behavioural consequences from working through the pandemic affecting their wellbeing. Finally, in other sectors, such as retail, it was found that employees experienced a negative impact on their morale and mental health (e.g. Elnahla and Neilson, 2021). However, a great deal of the existing research has focused on healthcare, since individuals in this sector must come face to face with infected people carrying the virus on a daily basis. Another set of employees that has been relatively neglected in the research literature who also interact with the public for their role are those that work in the taxi service industry. Despite also being on the frontline and drivers needing to work to earn a living, the health and wellbeing of drivers has received little research attention. As such, the current study aims to explore the mental health impacts on individuals working in the taxi sector.
The nature of the sector
The taxi industry provides employment for a large number of people in England. In 2021 there were 343,800 drivers employed in the sector (ONS, 2021). Research on people working in the taxi industry has tended to focus on the working conditions for drivers (e.g. Poó, Ledesma and López, 2018). This research has found that the job can be unstable and precarious (Zwick and Spicer, 2019), dangerous to physical heath because of occupational fatigue and stress (Poó et al., 2018) and lacking the rights that employees of organisations have such as paid leave and pensions (e.g. Harmon and Silberman, 2019). These studies and others like them have focused on the effects of the role on drivers before the pandemic. Yet very little research considers the wellbeing impacts of the pandemic on this industry that was already considered to be tough on the mental health of its employees before the global healthcare emergency. As such, this study aims to explore how the experience of the pandemic affected drivers who were working in the industry during the covid-19 pandemic.
Effects of the pandemic on the taxi industry
Lack of work
During much of 2020 and various periods of time throughout 2021, the UK was subject to multiple government mandated lockdowns (Institute for Government, 2021). As a result of these lockdowns, people were legally obliged to stay at home and not to work. Much of the city of London was empty during this time, as people were required to work from home. As a result of this, there was negligible demand for hail-riding services such as Uber, with trip bookings falling by 75% (BBC, 2020).
Even once they were able to return to work more fully, they were at risk of not being able to work if they contracted the virus themselves.
Exposure to the virus
Following an extended period of low work because of lockdowns, drivers were then faced with the prospect of their physical safety being threatened as they returned to the frontline. Due to nature of work, taxi drivers were at risk of contracting the virus themselves as they came face to face with numerous people daily without the ability to physically distance from them. Mojumder, Ahmed and Sadri’s (2021) study, which analysed data from an online ridesharing forum found that health-related concerns were prominent in the discussion forums during the pandemic.
Isolation
Like much of the rest of the world that suffered with isolation during the pandemic (Kim, Bhullar and Debra, 2020), individuals working in the transportation industry will have been no different. As such, the mental health implications of being alone and unable to spend time with friends and family may have affected these workers.
Summary of chapter
In summary, while literature on employees in the hail-riding industry has considered the working conditions of drivers and their wellbeing, little research has considered how the pandemic has affected them.
In the next chapter, the methods for the qualitative interview study will be described…
Questionnaire design
In order for the results of the study to be the most objective and reliable, it is necessary to use the survey method. A survey is the most common method of collecting primary information, involving a written or oral appeal to respondents. A survey conducted in writing is called a questionnaire – this is the most common method of collecting information about human subjectivity, that is, about people’s thoughts and feelings, their opinions and moods, life plans. Questioning can be individual and group, full-time and correspondence.
Further, it is worth highlighting that the most effective tool is interviewing Uber drivers. Interviewing is a purposeful conversation between a researcher and a respondent, which makes it possible to obtain deeper and more accurate information about the individual characteristics of people’s consciousness. This mechanism is relevant in the study, because it is the most inexpensive method that allows saving on time. The form of the interview is direct and indirect. It is necessary to use both variations in the study, since interaction with respondents can be complicated by distance, the reluctance to come to a certain place. In such cases, remote interviewing, using a phone or online services, is suitable.
When conducting a survey, the interviewer must observe the following rules:
- Specific interpretation of the wording of questions is not allowed;
- Pressure on the respondent, trying to get the desired answer are not allowed;
- One’s own interpretation of questions not allowed;
- Questions must be asked in the same sequence as provided by the questionnaire.
At the moment, all the necessary criteria have been established for conducting a full-fledged survey in the form of interviews with drivers. Next comes the compilation of questions that can be answered in detail, while the wording should allow to touch on as many topics as possible in the context of the pandemic. In other words, this interview should be multifaceted, evaluating the situation from several sides and points of view. The interview will consist of six open-ended questions:
- How much more complicated or easier was the work of an Uber warrior due to the emergence of a pandemic?
- How did the number of stressful or destructive situations increase, and what was their main source?
- How much and in what aspects has the behavior of people changed, both clients and superiors and colleagues?
- What do you think has changed the most and caused you the most discomfort during the pandemic?
- What changes in the general situation, both at work and among society, would you predict for the next year?
- Do you think that there has been an increase in the amount of distrust and fear between people caused by rumors and the peculiarities of the coronavirus and the pandemic?
The number of participants is 50 individuals, which is necessary for the presence of pluralism of opinions and to reduce the risk of errors in the interpretation of general sentiments. Mostly, there are three perspectives on the pandemic, namely negative, positive, and neutral. However, each of these relationships is due to unique factors and prerequisites depending on the individual. The number of participants, equal to 50, will allow to identify the most common response to the pandemic, as well as to establish the largest possible number of reasons for such an attitude.
In addition to the above, it is necessary to note the criteria for the selection of participants. There are not so many of them, because the study group is quite extensive. Participants need to either live in or stay in London for a long time since the start of the pandemic. Another most important factor is their work as Uber drivers, and for a long period of time, namely from 2 years. Such criteria will allow participants to have experience of pre-pandemic work, as well as functioning during restrictions and quarantine (Kossowska et al., 2022). This will allow them to implement a comparative analysis of the two stages of work, on the basis of which any deviations will be identified, if any.
According to the results of the survey, there are more negative than positive moods among drivers. The spread of COVID-19 provokes high nervous tension and public panic. The state of stress generates various reactions, the physiological reaction of the stressful state is manifested in changes in the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems. In turn, hypertension and diabetes mellitus are the main risk factors for severe COVID-19 and even death of patients. A stress-induced emotional response is a series of accompanying emotional experiences that put people in a negative emotional state, such as depression, anxiety, panic, frustration, or fear (Kossowska et al., 2022). The main behavioral changes caused by stress include anxiety, inattention, decreased ability to solve problems, slowness of action, frequent anger, excessive disinfection, smoking, alcohol abuse.
Quarantine is an unpleasant experience for those who go through it. Separation from loved ones, loss of freedom, uncertainty about illness status, and boredom can sometimes lead to dramatic consequences. People quarantined as “contacts” reported fear, nervousness, sadness, guilt and confusion. In this regard, the potential benefits of mandatory mass quarantine must be carefully weighed against the possible psychological costs. The expected consequences of the quarantine, and the associated social and physical distancing measures, include increased social isolation and feelings of loneliness, alcohol and substance abuse, gambling, and domestic violence. All this is closely related to anxiety, depression and suicide attempts, not only during the crisis period, but throughout later life.
Finally, it should be noted separately that the respondents note the increased complexity of their own work. First, driving a car is a stressful and languid process that requires concentration and quick reaction. Uber’s salary is in line with most drivers, but is not stable as it depends on the number of orders. As demand fell as a result of the pandemic, and the complexity of work did not change, workers were losing money, which created additional financial problems. The combination of a negative and pessimistic attitude towards the pandemic, falling incomes, people’s fear of illness and the complexity of work greatly increased the chances of a deterioration in psycho-emotional stability (Kossowska et al., 2022). As noted above, many respondents showed an increased interest in alcohol and tobacco, became more tired and aggressive.
Methods of data collection
In order for the study to be most effective and efficient, it is necessary to introduce certain principles of data collection. First of all, it is necessary to record exactly all the information that the respondents express. These data will be the primary source, which will later serve as a foundation for interpretation. Several specialists need to analyze everything said by the respondents and interpret it in such a way that all information is translated into a single number system. It is important to emphasize that the most convenient tool will be to compile a table, where each cell will correspond to a certain criterion that is relevant for the study.
This table should be in a digital version to allow access by several specialists at the same time. It is vital to involve independent experts to assess the objectivity of the interpretations made by employees. After such a check, it can be stated that the database is ready and can serve as a basis for compiling results and recommendations, as well as identifying general trends. Thus, a qualitative method of collecting and analyzing information will be used. The quantitative method is less effective here due to the specifics of the study, since the task is to show not the quantity, but the quality of the consequences of the pandemic.
Conclusion and Recommendation
As a conclusion, it should be noted that the pandemic has a negative impact on Uber drivers in London. This became known thanks to the qualitative collection and analysis of data from a study conducted among 50 respondents through interviews. The main trends were noted, such as a tendency to a depressive state, the relevance of bad habits and feelings of loneliness, an increase in the number of disturbing problems and stress. As recommendations, it should be noted that Uber provides free psychological assistance to its employees who need it based on their pessimistic moods. In addition, it is necessary to further protect employees from potential infection with coronavirus by providing tools to combat the disease. This will significantly reduce the level of fear, which will lead to improved communication and reduced stress.
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