Uber Driver loses job

App fails to recognise him after tonsure

Neradi Srikanth, an Uber driver from Telangana, has been left without a job for shaving his head. This issue was highlighted by the Indian Federation Of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT) and Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPW). Srikanth has been blocked by Uber India’s facial recognition software for trying to login multiple times.

According to IFAT National General Secretary Shaik Salauddin that Srikanth was unable to login into Uber’s app after he returned from his visit to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. He said that he was banned by the software after four attempts and has not been able to work since then.

“Srikanth shaved his head during a recent trip to Tirupati and when he returned he found that he could not log in to his Uber partner app, which is his source of daily income. The algorithm did not identify Srikanth with his shaved head after he uploaded a routine selfie,” Salauddin said on Twitter. 

“Srikanth has been visiting the @Uber_India office every day and is being met with no response, all without his daily income,” he added.

Salauddin, also the TGPW union president, further said that many other app-based employees like Srikanth, have lost their jobs because of such technical failures but there is no one to address their grievances. TGPW has taken notice of the issues faced by app-based employees working in companies like Ola and Uber while urging the concerned authorities to take cognizance.

Srikanth remains jobless and has visited Uber office multiple times for over a month now. Despite his 4.67 rating for completing nearly 1,428 trips, Uber has refused to reinstate Srikanth without giving him valid reason.