Uber Shakes Things Up for Riders, Drivers and Staff

It has been a big few days for Uber, with an introduction of new features, a new booking fee and news that 20 of its employees were fired mostly from its San Francisco office.

Firstly to the news that will affect the contents of our wallets. Uber has announced they will be introducing a $0.55 cent booking fee on all trips in Australia from June 9, as well as an overall increase in the cost of the minimum fare.

That means the minimum fare in Sydney will rise from $8 to $9, with Melbourne and Canberra rising from $6 to $7.50. The biggest increase will be in Perth, from $5 to $7.

But it's not all bad. They'll also be introducing some neat features like an in-app messaging system, which gives drivers the option to include their own conversation starters, so Uber riders know what their interests are instead of having to ask on a long drive, "So, what's it like to be an Uber driver?"

In other Uber news, 20 employees have been fired for mostly sexual harassment claims, with a further 57 employees still under review. The Perkins Coie law firm probed into allegations that sexual harassment was rife within the company after a former employee, Susan J. Fowler, wrote about her experience that went viral.

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