"Bolt drivers seek to be classed as workers at London employment tribunal," 11 September 2024

Drivers working for Bolt, the ride-hailing app operator, are seeking to be classed as workers rather than self-employed contractors at an employment tribunal. More than 12,500 drivers, who are represented by the law firm Leigh Day, are bringing the action against Bolt, an Estonia-based ride-hailing app...

The drivers claim they should be treated as workers because of the significant control Bolt has over how they work, and say they should be given the same rights and protections as typical workers...

The litigation against Bolt comes three years after its rival Uber lost a landmark case at the UK’s supreme court which found that Uber drivers were workers, rather than being self-employed, and so were entitled to rights such as the minimum wage...

Bolt, which does not class the drivers as workers, announced as of 1 August its drivers would receive holiday pay and a guarantee of the “national living wage”...

Bolt said that its business model “enables drivers to be their own boss, and the majority of private-hire drivers consistently state that they wish to remain self-employed independent contractors, as they value the flexibility, personal control over pricing, and earning potential offered by this model”.

The company said that, in its recent survey, six in 10 drivers identified the ability to choose their own hours as the most important aspect of their work...