Communities of Co-Research
Private Hire Drivers’ Self-Organisation in the Platform Gig Economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23310041 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joe Kearsey (0009-0006-7445-9772, University of Nottingham, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Work Employment and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0950-0170 • E-ISSN: 1469-8722 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09500170261434882 |
| OpenAlex | W7171851597 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
This article develops a processual account and analysis of the collective organisation of app-based private hire drivers in the UK. Contrary to pessimistic studies which highlight the hyper-individualisation of platform workers in the gig economy, this research demonstrates the centrality of community-based and occupational networks among private hire drivers, both in terms of the growth and expansion of ride-hailing platforms, as well as drivers’ combative organisation. It highlights the way in which drivers have engaged in forms of bottom-up labour process knowledge production via these networks in response to the (re)organisation of their work. As a result, app-based private hire drivers have revealed the inner logic of algorithmic management, undermining its purported technological objectivity, while simultaneously developing new tactics of resistance and forms of collective self-organisation.
Centrality · Gig economy · Pessimism · Private sector · Process (computing) · Production (economics) · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Emotional Labor in Professions · Sharing Economy and Platforms
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |