Workers rights | 12,500 Bolt drivers fight to gain 'employee' status as huge tribunal begins

Thousands of Bolt private hire drivers have taken their claim for workers’ rights to a tribunal.

More than 12,500 drivers claim they should be recognised as workers rather than self-employed contractors running their own business, and paid compensation for previous unpaid holiday pay and shortfalls in the National Living Wage.

The Bolt drivers believe that the 2021 Supreme Court ruling that Uber drivers are workers also applies to their working situation. Law firm Leigh Day represented Uber drivers in their Supreme Court victory, and is representing them again at the employment tribunal.

Estonian-based ride-hailing app operator Bolt is a rival to Uber and has been operating in the UK since 2019. As of April 2023, there were 100,000 Bolt drivers in the UK working across 19 cities including London, Manchester and Birmingham.