Addison Lee drivers accept new deal

Addison Lee’s new driver deal has now been accepted by 99% of drivers after several months of negotiations.

The private hire company says the deal offers drivers the chance to earn “more money than ever before”, together with a vehicle rental plan and what it described as a “clear, highly competitive commission structure”.

More than half of the commission will be reinvested into promotional codes and driver incentives, which Addison Lee says will encourage more people to take advantage of its services and ensure the availability of its drivers.

Andy Boland, Addison Lee chief executive officer, said: “We believe that our new driver offer is the best on offer in the industry. It represents a significant investment in our relationship with our drivers and reflects the fact that we are proud to work with only the very best private hire drivers.”

The deal comes in the wake of Addison Lee drivers being sacked after they protested against new fare rates which they claimed would result in a cut in wages.

Steve Garelick, GMB branch secretary for professional drivers, told Fleet News that at least five protestors found their contracts had been terminated after attending the event (read more in this week’s Fleet News).

Boland said: “The hugely positive response to our new deal proves that the relationship between Addison Lee and its drivers is as strong as ever. Addison Lee invests heavily in providing the best vehicles, technology and driver training programmes in our industry.”

However, Garelick claims that drivers, who are self-employed contractors, had to agree to the deal to continue working for the firm.

He said: "Drivers logging on to their work portal had to accept the deal to take new work. If they did not accept, the portal would log them off."