Uber may have had the veil pulled off of a grand scheme created to snatch driver’s from Lyft, their most popular competitor in the car service business.
The Verge published a report that exposed Uber’s campaign to recruit Lyft drivers, called Operation SLOG. According to the report, Uber hired independent contractor and bought them burner (throw-away) phones, credit cards to create dummy accounts and strategic talking points to influence Lyft drivers to leave their job for Uber. These contractors booked rides and urged drivers to switch to Uber. Contractors could make up to $750 for successfully convincing a Lyft driver to cross over to Uber.
Uber replied to the new accusation in a statement, stating, “There’s been a lot of discussion — and a lot of misinformation — about Uber’s driver recruitment and the ridesharing industry’s at large. We’d like to set the record straight and demystify our recruiting efforts, which we call Operation SLOG (Supplying Long-term Operations Growth). With millions of riders and ever-increasing demand for more rides in even more cities, we are always working hard to recruit new drivers onto the platform.”
Earlier this month, Lyft accused Uber workers of cancelling 5,560 Lyft rides over the course of just under a year. Uber denied the claims and countered by accusing Lyft of cancelling 12,900 rides. The two car service giants have locked horns publicly in the fight for more drivers and a broader customer base. More drivers are vital for both companies to spread positive feedback for the company while literally picking up new clients.
Featured image via Uber
