Drivers who work for online taxi service Uberpop often fail to earn more than the Dutch minimum wage and some are earning as little as €4 an hour, the Volkskrant says on Tuesday.

The paper bases its claims on journey registration documents sent to drivers by Uber itself every week.

The documents show that the best drivers earn an average turnover of €18 an hour. Of this, €4 goes to Uber and drivers must also pay for petrol and other car-related costs.

The minimum wage in the Netherlands this year is €9.63 an hour.

The paper says Uber’s own research shows 37% of drivers are happy about their earnings and the rest are either ‘negative or neutral’. The same research shows most drivers use their Uber earnings to top up their income and not as a sole job.

Impact

Tilburg University labour economist Ronald Dekker told the paper that the arrival of Uber on the Dutch taxi market is having an impact on the profession across the board. ‘Taxi drivers are getting even closer to the bottom of the heap,’ he said.

Uber Nederland director Niek van Leeuwen told the paper its drivers are earning more money and making more trips per hour. ‘The turnover can go up to an average of €20 an hour,’ he said.

Uberpop is technically banned in the Netherlands but the company is continuing to offer the service pending the outcome of legal action.