Inequalities in Ride-Hailing Platforms

Abstract

The business models of the emerging digital economy supposedly provide equal opportunities to all stakeholders in the market. Contrary to this, we argue in this chapter that structural inequalities exist in digital economy interactions. Using the case of ride-hailing platforms (RHPs) Uber and Ola in New Delhi, India, we show that the projected symbiotic relationships between the RHP, the drivers, and the customers are not equally beneficial. Specifically, our study focuses on the rating mechanisms that constitute algorithmic governance within RHP platforms. Our study uses data collected through qualitative interviews with RHP drivers in New Delhi and a sample of the drivers’ rating data. The study finds that drivers bear the brunt of consequences within the rating systems. The algorithm appears to replicate traditional critiques of the interactions between workers and employers under capitalism. The mechanism of discipline via the rating systems exerts considerable power over the drivers, but not their customers.