The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Uber to roll out Swiss-wide ‘dual model’ for drivers

uber
Uber’s disruptive model faces resistance from unions and authorities in various countries, not just Switzerland. Keystone / Caroline Brehman

The ride-hailing company says it will offer drivers the possibility of remaining independent or becoming official employees of a subcontractor firm.

The “dual model” will be extended gradually across the country – with the exception of Geneva – from October, Uber’s Swiss director Jean-Pascal Aribot toldExternal link the Tribune de Genève newspaper on Saturday.

Aribot said such a system has already been tested in Lausanne (canton Vaud) since the start of 2022. It allows drivers to either remain independent, using Uber as a portal to connect with their clients, or become employees of a third-party company, which then also takes care of processing wages and social insurance payments.

More

According to Aribot, in the case of Lausanne, around 80% of drivers opted to remain self-employed after being offered the choice.

Across Switzerland, he said, some 3,000 drivers use Uber, most of them in the urban areas of Basel and Zurich. He also said the dual model would have to be adapted to the different regulations governing taxis in each canton. Bern, for example, does not allow non-professional drivers to pick up passengers, the Tribune de Genève writes.

Geneva sticking point

Geneva will however remain an exception to this, after a ruling by the Swiss Federal Court in June upheld the canton’s decision to define Uber drivers as employees. Complicated (and so far unsuccessful) negotiations about salary arrears and social insurance payments are ongoing with unions. Talks face a deadline of October 15.

Aribot said the Federal Court ruling has “no impact” on Uber’s activities in other Swiss cantons.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Work by Malaysian artist on display in Thun

More

Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann holds first major European exhibition in Thun

This content was published on Das Kunstmuseum Thun richtet im August die erste grössere Europaausstellung der malaysischen Künstlerin Yee I-Lann aus. Darin werden Einflüsse des Kolonialismus aber auch das Fortbestehen des indigenen Erbes thematisiert.

Read more: Malaysian artist Yee I-Lann holds first major European exhibition in Thun
Hackers publish sensitive Radix data on the Darknet

More

Data from Swiss health foundation Radix leaked on the dark web

This content was published on After the cyber attack suffered by the Radix foundation at the end of last month, sensitive personal data such as names and debts of people banned from casinos were published on the Darknet.

Read more: Data from Swiss health foundation Radix leaked on the dark web
0.5 per cent less CO2 for companies with a net zero target

More

Net zero firms emit 0.5% less CO2, study finds

This content was published on Companies with an externally validated net-zero target emit less CO2 than those without a climate target. This is the conclusion of a new analysis by the US financial services provider MSCI.

Read more: Net zero firms emit 0.5% less CO2, study finds
Cyberattacks on Swiss companies increase by 9 per cent

More

Cyberattacks on Swiss companies increase by 9%

This content was published on Swiss companies are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals. In the past quarter, every single company in this country was the target of a cyber attack an average of 1097 times a week.

Read more: Cyberattacks on Swiss companies increase by 9%
21 minutes of power interruption per end customer in 2024

More

Swiss households faced 21 minutes of power outages in 2024

This content was published on End customers experienced an average of 21 minutes of electricity interruption in 2024. This resulted in 0.34 power outages per capita. The duration of electricity interruptions increased by three minutes compared to the previous year.

Read more: Swiss households faced 21 minutes of power outages in 2024
SMEs struggle to find staff, 'employees have more power'

More

Swiss SMEs struggling to find employees

This content was published on Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to find staff, a problem made more acute by the increased bargaining power of employees and increased absenteeism.

Read more: Swiss SMEs struggling to find employees

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR