The Belgian subsidiary of the French ride-hailing app Heetch is changing its model and launching Coop'Heetch, a cooperative "by and for drivers," it announced on Wednesday.
Thanks to this change, drivers will be better compensated through a sliding scale commission that can reach a minimum of 10%, and will have better representation.
Heetch, which has been operating in Belgium since 2017 and whose legal entity Heetch Belgium SRL will be dissolved, explains that it is acting "in an increasingly coercive environment for drivers."
The commission for drivers will therefore be a sliding scale and proportional to the number of weekly trips completed via the app. This way, the more trips a driver takes, the lower their commission.
"Our commission for drivers who are part of the cooperative starts at 20%, making it the lowest on the market. In comparison, competitors operate a minimum commission of 23.8%, with peaks reaching up to 35%," the platform emphasised. The commission can decrease to as little as 10%.
"Competitor platforms have recently increased their commissions, that way reducing drivers' earnings and provoking widespread discontent among them, as well as various protests," said Teddy Pellerin, co-founder and CEO of Heetch.
"This commission increase has led to a decline in trust, further increasing the financial pressure on drivers," he added.
Drivers will also have a vote at the general assembly, which will be held once or several times a year, allowing them to voice their opinions through a single vote.
"A true innovation that has never been introduced in the sector before," Heetch said. Various benefits related to the job of driver, such as fuel cards and access to car washes, will be offered over time.
