Page 30 - drive a2b FEB 2020 web

DiDi's new reward system has slashed

pay rates for Australian drivers, as they

work punishing hours and battle it out
for limited jobs

by Jack Derwin

After all, DiDi had managed to commission on all fares drivers single week and accept 95% of
beat Uber in its native China, received. Since the introduction of all those DiDi offers them while
boasts 550 million users Advance in December, the average online.
worldwide, and has courted Australian driver now pays a
investment from the likes of commission between 12 and Any driver trying to reach or
Apple. However, 18 months later 13%, DiDi confirmed to Business maintain that level can’t then
and after a steady expansion Insider Australia — a rate it says is afford to take a holiday or get
across the country, many of its industry-leading. sick as DiDi doesn’t currently
drivers are departing the app allow its contractors to take time
altogether after the company DiDi Advance has four tiers: Silver, off without having to start at the
launched a new rewards system, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. bottom of the ladder again.
which began charging casual To earn the same 5% commission Perhaps the clearest ramification
drivers higher commissions on earned before the program’s of the Advance program is that it
each ride they take unless they launch, a driver must be classed penalises casual drivers, who have
gain high-level status. as ‘Platinum’. In order to reach seen the commission they pay
DiDi Advance is the new system by and maintain that level, a driver to DiDi more than double if they
which all of its drivers are either must take 30 trips or more a are classed as ‘Gold’ drivers and
rewarded or punished, depending week, complete 65% of all trips almost quadruple if they do less
on how many trips they complete, accepted, and accept 9 out of 10 than five rides a week.
what proportion of jobs they rides offered by the app. If they In implementing the rewards
accept and how many they cancel. fall below those targets, they face program, DiDi appears to have
Their weekly performance is rated commission rates between 12% distanced itself from the typical
at the end of each week, with their and 19%, significantly eating into gig economy worker — one who
status setting their pay rate for the their take-home pay. works such jobs to supplement
following seven days. Diamond status, the holy grail their income. Given there are
of the program, meanwhile has 1.15 million underemployed
While it has been presented as
a reward program, it represents a 0% commission rate, which Australians, the attraction of such
a fundamental shift in how entitles drivers to take home their work is self-evident.
DiDi pays its drivers. Before the entire earnings for the week. To
implementation of DiDi Advance, reach that lofty level, you must
the company took a flat 5% complete more than 80 trips every
30 DRIVE A2B magazine · February 2020