Justice Argument
Justice demands that we treat equals equally and unequals unequally. Perhaps, the introduction of laws governing Uber technology has received mixed reactions based on the issue of justice. For instance, the new regulations argue that drivers should not be paid based on rider fares. Notably, contracts allow rider fares to be relatively higher than what is usually paid to the drivers. It has also been perceived that Uber does not consider its drivers as employees, and it does not recognize their pay as commission. However, Uber has allowed its drivers to keep fare paid to them in the Uber driver app even though the fare is different from what was charged by the rider. This has received a mixed judgment on how Uber treats riders and drivers. However, those who are judging this case should support justice. Based on this, everyone should be judging this case.
Unequals should be treated unequally. Thus, to enhance the fair distribution of social and economic benefits and burdens, equals should be treated equally, and unequal should be treated unequally. The situation that needs to be examined is how Uber treats riders and drivers. Perhaps, Uber has been fighting a proposed lawsuit that argues that it overcharges riders and underpay drivers (KRAVETS, 2017). The hailing ride service, in its defense, has asserted that no one is defrauded in its rider fare pricing model. The Uber has defended itself by arguing that fares charged to riders don’t have to match to the fare paid to the drivers.
A likely counterargument could be in an extreme case, such as the use of sophisticated software that is perceived to defraud drivers and passengers. This has hindered the ability of drivers to operate effectively. The plaintiffs alleged that when Uber implemented the use of upfront pricing for riders, the agreement required Uber to change how fare was calculated for drivers. On the other side, Uber has sought for the tossing of the class action. This is a misinterpretation of the agreement. This, in turn, shows that the unequal are indeed treated unequally. Perhaps, Uber does not recognize drivers as its employees, and thus they are perceived to be unequal. Based on this, Uber does not recognize the pay for the drivers as the commission. This ideally shows that unequals are always treated unequally. The drivers pay Uber a service fee, which is termed as a percentage of the fare earned by the drivers. This is not in the case with Uber riders. This shows drivers are treated differently with riders.
Riders should not be treated the same as drivers. Based on the justice argument, Uber riders are perceived to the equals, and thus they are treated equally. It is also prudent to note that riders can also pay more to Uber than what the driver’s fare has been based on. This is because the driver’s contract has permitted Uber to adjust fare paid to the drivers. Therefore, based on this, it is asserted that since drivers get their pay through the subscription of the Uber driver app, they should not be regarded as the Uber drivers.