Occupational Hazards for Drivers in Colombia’s Illegal Ride-hailing Economy. Employment on the edge of criminality and informality

Ride-hailing platforms have been able to rapidly expand their operations in nearly all countries of Latin America within less than a decade. As in other parts of the world, the new concept of ride-hailing has been received with a certain grade of suspicion by lawmakers and other stakeholders in the traditional transport sector. Especially in Colombia, policies have been implemented that aim to desist workers from supplying rides for the various platforms that are active in the country, while at the same time these workers have reportedly been attacked by their traditional peers active for the taxi industry. While in research many attention has been paid to the construction of labor relations between the platforms and the workers, the way the platforms have impacted passengers’ decision-making process regarding modes of transport and the characteristics of ride-hailing platforms vis-à-vis the taxi industry, little research has been done on the decision-making process of ride-hailing...Show moreRide-hailing platforms have been able to rapidly expand their operations in nearly all countries of Latin America within less than a decade. As in other parts of the world, the new concept of ride-hailing has been received with a certain grade of suspicion by lawmakers and other stakeholders in the traditional transport sector. Especially in Colombia, policies have been implemented that aim to desist workers from supplying rides for the various platforms that are active in the country, while at the same time these workers have reportedly been attacked by their traditional peers active for the taxi industry. While in research many attention has been paid to the construction of labor relations between the platforms and the workers, the way the platforms have impacted passengers’ decision-making process regarding modes of transport and the characteristics of ride-hailing platforms vis-à-vis the taxi industry, little research has been done on the decision-making process of ride-hailing drivers. Noting an increase in police enforcement and violence from taxi drivers towards ride-hailing drivers on the one side and a high amount of drivers that, in spite of the circumstances, remain active on the other side, this thesis aims to gather an insight into the dynamics of the labor circumstances in which these drivers find themselves. By using the framework of the economic theory of crime, restrictive deterrence and occupational hazards, this thesis maps the perceived occupational risks faced by drivers, the way drivers attempt to mitigate these perceived risks and, consequently, how drivers construct their decision to either continue or desist from their occupation. By interviewing 9 drivers in Bogotá, in combination with a discourse analysis, it was found that drivers have a high perception of the risks attributed to their occupation. Depending on their socio-economic status, however, the drivers accept these risks while applying avoidance techniques in order to be able to continue their activities. Whereas not all respondents fit into the profile of lower skilled workers, most of them face exclusion mechanisms from the formal labor market, which leaves them with ride-hailing platforms as the sole alternative of generating a desired basic income. The findings indicate that drivers will be able to continue to manage their perception of risk through avoidance techniques as long as the profit from their activities remains higher than the formal alternative. This will likely remain the case as long as the labor market in Colombia is not able to bring forward decent jobs and the public prefers ride-hailing over other modes of transport. Considering the great availability of both the ride-hailing platforms and its drivers to adapt to changed regulations and policing tactics, this thesis suggest it for policy makers to be more productive to address impediments within the labor market and public transportation rather than aiming at desisting ride-hailing drivers.Show less

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Occupational Hazards for Drivers in Colombia’s Illegal Ride-hailing Economy. Employment on the edge of criminality and informality