Food delivery riders in Edinburgh are calling on platforms including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat to reveal how their pay-setting algorithms work, arguing that growing use of automation has driven down earnings even as workloads have stayed the same. Riders working with the Workers' Observatory, a charity founded by gig economy workers and academics from St Andrews and Edinburgh universities, say the shift towards "dynamic pricing" has made pay unpredictable and left them unable to earn a stable living, adding to wider concerns about opaque AI systems governing gig work.

One rider, David, said he was earning half what he made four years ago for the same hours, while lead organiser Xabier Villares described a "dramatic change" in the last three years that has ended his ability to rely on the job to cover rent and bills. Research from Oxford University and Columbia Business School found Uber's 2023 dynamic pricing algorithm left drivers earning substantially less per hour, and this week drivers in the UK, Netherlands and elsewhere launched a class action in Amsterdam alleging the system breaches data protection law; Uber denies personalising fares based on driver behaviour. The Workers' Observatory, which has secured a decade of research funding, has run experiments such as one in Dunfermline where riders coordinated to reject low-paying job offers, temporarily raising rates for some.