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Drivers for the ride-hailing app gathered near Uber’s “greenlight hub” at the County Ground in Hove, demanding the firm address its “unfair price policy” and “high trip commission”.
Protesters held placards which said “Uber driving us into poverty” and “share fair, pay fair” and encouraged people to sign a letter to Uber calling for action.
The letter said that the issues drivers have faced with “unfair fares” had “been affecting us and our ability to sustain a decent livelihood”.
Isaac Aydur, who has been an Uber driver in the city for five years, said the company takes high commissions from each trip and that earnings have not kept up with inflation.
He said: “Despite the increase in the cost of living, maintenance, fuel and insurance, our earnings are dropping. Five years ago, I was earning more for the same trip than now.
“I’m earning up to 40 per cent less than I used to earn for the same journey.”
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Another driver in the city, Ali Omar, worked out that he earned around £50 after working almost all day yesterday.
“How am I supposed to live in Brighton, as one of the most expensive places in the country, with that amount of money I earned?,” he said.
Other drivers explained that, even on better days where they earn more, their wages are eaten into by the cost of fuel, maintenance of their vehicles, tax and national insurance, before even factoring in the cost of rent or a mortgage and other bills.
Mr Omar also criticised Uber’s algorithm, which can assign them a journey with a passenger more than a mile away even when there are drivers closer to them.
“I am polluting more driving two miles to pick up a passenger when there is already a driver around – where is the logic in that? It’s then costing me more as I’m using more fuel,” he said.
Uber have been approached for comment.
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