CHANGES to Uber drivers' conditions have been welcomed but many around Bradford still think they have been left short-changed.

Yesterday, it was announced more than 70,000 drivers will now to be treated as workers under UK employment law. Uber said its drivers will now earn at least the national living wage after accepting a trip request and after expenses.

All drivers will receive holiday time based on 12.07% of their earnings, which will be paid out on a fortnightly basis. They will also be automatically enrolled in a pension scheme.

The news comes a month after the Uber firm lost a legal battle in the UK, which began in 2016, over drivers' status.

The problem now lies with drivers only earning the national living wage when they are set a trip, not when they begin working by logging on to the app.

Chairman of Bradford's Private Hire Operators Association for Drivers and Operators Nadeem Iqbal said: "Drivers will be fuming.

"They are happy that the decision has passed the court but at the same time they are saying to Uber why are you still kicking us in the teeth?

"They clearly haven’t listened; they are finding a way to move around it.

"In this pandemic, not many trips are happening because people are staying at home for safety reasons. Most of the drivers are sat around waiting for trips. Whether you are waiting two or three hours for a job that is irrelevant they are not going to pay you for that.

"With this congestion air zone coming into Bradford, it is just one thing after the other, the trade is not really improving, it is getting worse."

Adam Badat , a West Yorkshire cabbie of almost 20 years and a former Uber driver, said: "People don’t realise what Uber has actually done. They have just moved the goalposts.

"They take 20-25% commission off you. In that sense, it might work out. When I was working for Uber, I was putting in roughly 60 hours a week. By the time I took the costs and everything out, I was getting paid around £350 which works out to £5.83 an hour.

"But for me it still isn’t up to the standard of living what Uber are going to pay. Drivers could be waiting up to two hours for a job."

An unnamed Bradford resident, who has worked for Uber in Leeds since it launched in 2015, added: "I am glad to see workers have got some kind of right.

"The industry has always been working under instruction, you have to follow the rules and regulations of the firm you work for.

"Uber has shaken up the industry and challenged the norm of what was set in stone over the last 30-40 years.

"They are changes that has been put upon Uber. Why didn’t they recognise this before? They have only done it because they lost their vote in court.

"This case can be a benchmark for other self-employed industries especially in the gig economy. All the big firms are looking for easy ways out to squeeze the workers for every penny."