Uber to recruit 20,000 UK drivers on post-lockdown demand

LONDON (AP) — Uber plans to recruit 20,000 more drivers in the United Kingdom to help fill swelling demand for rides as the country’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions ease. The San Francisco-based ride hailing company said Thursday it aims to sign up the additional drivers by the end of the year, adding to the 70,000 it already has in the U.K. Uber said U.K. trips have jumped by 50% since British pubs and restaurants were allowed to reopen for outdoor service. Uber said the new drivers will be entitled to benefits such as holiday pay and pensions, which it started offering after the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers should be classified as workers, not self-employed.