According to an Uber executive, not even the approval of stricter labor laws in favor of Uber drivers would make the company leave the Brazilian market
Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, assured that the company has no intention of leaving Brazil, stressing that the country is currently the largest market in the world in terms of travel volume on the platform. In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo, the leader of the technology giant classified the Brazilian territory as a “permanent home” and categorically rejected the possibility of leaving, even in the face of the eventual approval of a new, more restrictive labor legislation for application workers.
The executive highlighted that the Brazilian operation surpassed the United States in the number of urban mobility operations, assuming itself as a true “growth machine” for the company. Since its debut in the country in 2014, Uber has accounted for more than 17 billion trips, generating about R$ 230 billion in revenue for partner drivers.
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At the center of the company’s attention is the debate about the regulation of the sector. Khosrowshahi said he supports the creation of basic rights for partners, such as the contribution to Social Security and the establishment of a minimum level of remuneration. However, he harshly criticized the possibility of the government imposing the obligation of traditional employment contracts.
“We think this outcome would be a huge mistake. There is no reason to return to work with a fixed contract. That was the work model of 50 years ago,” he said. According to the CEO, a change along these lines would be very harmful to the business and to the drivers themselves, who would lose flexibility, pointed out as the main advantage of the current model.
The impact of forced regulation would also fall directly on users. The platform estimates that, given some of the requirements under discussion, trip prices could be increased by 50% to 60%, which would drastically reduce the number of drivers able to generate income in the app.
Despite the divergences with government proposals, Uber reinforces its long-term commitment. The company announced the expansion of its technology center, with the forecast of investing more than R$ 2 billion and doubling the number of engineers in the country, consolidating its presence on Brazilian soil. “Uber will continue in Brazil, we will follow the laws and we will have a constructive relationship,” he concluded.
