The private-hire drivers are fighting for better pay and working conditions

More than 100 Uber and Bolt drivers “shut down” city centre streets – and later blocked a Birmingham Airport multi-storey car park – in a high-octane Valentine’s Day protest over “unfair pay”.

It started when a huge convoy of taxis, travelling from Star City, joined up with other disgruntled drivers in Brunel Street, outside New Street station, shortly after 4pm this afternoon.

The private-hire drivers – fighting for better pay and working conditions – let off green, black and blue flares as they brought traffic to almost a total stand-still.

Dakkis Sulimn claimed that, despite completing 20,000-plus trips for Uber, the taxi firm still treated him and others “badly”. “The rates are really, really bad,” he told BirminghamLive.

READ MORE: Uber and Bolt protest live as Birmingham convoy block off Birmingham Airport car park

“Some drivers don’t even make £1 an hour. Some have to drive 10 to 15 minutes just for a £4 job – it’s ridiculous. Bus drivers’ pay, train driver’s pay, everything is up. But not us Uber drivers.”

The taxi drivers, who agreed to not accept trips between 4pm and 10pm, screamed “shame on you” at working Bolt and Uber drivers who were seen picking up and dropping off customers while the demo was ongoing.

One driver said he was “disappointed” to see others working. He told BirminghamLive: “There’s no way they didn’t know about it. Everyone got the message.

“What we need is unity. What’s the point of working just to make a bit of extra cash today. If we don’t stand up together and do something, everything goes back to normal tomorrow.”

He said the drivers were “shutting down roads” because they “needed to be heard”.

Ride-along

We jumped in for a ride-along with one Uber driver who was travelling to BHX as part of the protest. The aim was to block roads and cause disruption at the airport’s entrance, he said.

But the convoy was disrupted by police when travelling out of the city centre after police ‘boxed’ in a media van outside Electric Cinema which had been leading protesters.

Eventually though, the convoy began moving again. But, by this point, many of the taxi drivers had unintentionally split up.

The splintered convoy managed to meet up again around an hour later in Terminal Road, outside BHX, where drivers blocked the exit of an NCP car park.

Explaining the reason behind it, a driver said: “It stops the working Uber and Bolt drivers from getting to their jobs. They shouldn’t be cashing in while we’re out here demanding we all get better pay.

“Blocking this car park is another knock-on effect against Uber and Bolt tonight, on Valentine’s Day. There is a big demand tonight and they will be without a lot of drivers.”

At one stage, a box of rocket fireworks were let off into the sky, before police intervened. One officer was overheard telling protesters to stop due to “safety concerns”. Some drivers also hit back at their actions, calling it a “stupid idea” because of planes above.

Drivers claimed that ‘unfair pay, rising costs, algorithmic control, trip radar exploitation and dynamic pricing manipulation’ were the reasons behind the protest.

They demanded an end to “unfair” fixed pricing where drivers are paid the same no matter how long a trip takes, with no extra pay for delays, detours, or road closures.

We contacted both Bolt and Uber for comment. A Bolt spokesperson claimed: “Service levels remain unaffected this evening, with users able to book rides as normal.”