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1.

In 2012, Reliable Ride launched a website and app, allowing customers to make online bookings. This gave customers the ability to view driver profiles and personally select a driver based on the given information. RR noticed that the introduction of this feature significantly lowered bookings for female and racialized drivers. This is an example of Systematic Discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Employees were being discriminated on the basis of gender and race, which lie under the prohibited grounds of the Ontario Human Rights Code. Reliable Ride employees two types of workers: full-time drivers, part-time/ casual drivers. Part-time drivers earn the provincial minimum wage appropriate to their geographic region. However, full-time drivers receive an hourly wage of $17/hour. This violates the “Equal pay for Equal Work” under the Employment Standards Act. The drivers are receiving different wages but performing the exact same tasks. Furthermore, the part-time drivers don’t get equal opportunity to earn annual performance bonuses.

Reliable Ride has received many complaints from their drivers and customers. On the basis of customer complaints, many drivers were fired without proper investigation. However, when drivers reported inappropriate, aggressive, sexually suggestive or directly threatening comments from customers, no actions were taken. This is a violation of the Canadian Human Rights Act, as the company was not following the proper dispute resolution process to resolve these conflicts.

2.

Reliable Ride employs a diverse group of workers. However, their business model doesn’t provide Employment Equity, leaving designated groups at a disadvantage. The introduction of their online booking system, which gives customers the ability to choose drivers based on their profiles has noticeably lowered bookings for women and racialized drivers. To eliminate this inequity, they can make some modifications to their booking system. Instead of providing the customers with complete driver profiles, they can eliminate the irrelevant personal information and only display driver ratings. They can categorize the ratings on the basis of friendliness, road-knowledge, timeliness etc. This will allow customers to choose their driver without discriminating against the designated groups. Reliable Ride employs both full-time and part-time drivers. Part-time drivers are paid the provincial minimum wage based on their geographical location. Contrarily, full-time drivers are paid $17/hour for doing the same job. This is an example of the violation of Pay Equity. Full-time drivers also have a

higher chance of receiving annual performance bonuses due to their biased dispatch system. The system prioritizes full-time drivers, giving them a better chance to get more kilometers and positive customer feedback, which are the basis of the performance bonuses. They must make changes to their dispatch system and standardize the driver wages. All drivers must receive equal pay for equal work. They should also change their dispatch system to give equal chances to all drivers on duty. The bonuses should solely be based on driver ratings and not the number of kilometres, as part-time/casual drivers can never gain as many kilometres as full-time drivers. 3.

Driver training is key to enhance customer experience and sense of security. In the competitive environment, the soft skills play a key role in making a differentiation in service levels. At Reliable Ride, full-time drivers receive mandatory paid training, but this training isn’t mandatory or paid for part-time drivers. This is an example of a training gap present in the system. RR should take initiative to develop online training portals to train and test all drivers working for the company. This would promote more standardized, consistent and enhanced customer service levels.

4.

Workers performing the same tasks should be awarded the same wages and benefits. The compensation structure at Reliable Ride differentiates between full-time and part-time drivers. The full-time drivers receive a fixed hourly rate of 17$/hour, whereas part-time drivers receive the provincial minimum wage. This wage gap can be viewed as unfair and lowers job satisfaction amongst part-time drivers.

RR has an annual performance bonus plan for all drivers. However, the structure of the bonus plan doesn't give part-time drivers an equal chance to earn incentives. The bonuses are rewarded based on the kilometers and positive customer reviews. Since full-time drivers are offered more rides, they can easily meet the bonus criterion. Part-time drivers don't have equal opportunity and rarely earn bonuses. This is another cause of high voluntary turnover rate amongst unhappy part-time drivers.

5.

Allied Bus Line was bought by Reliable Ride in 2016 to diversify and expand the company’s operations. The group of 30 drivers forming ABL had been rumored to be considering union representation due to low wages and lack of extended benefits. Since RR hopes to remain union-free, they must analyze and act on these concerns. RR should survey the market to find and provide bus drivers with competitive wages and benefits. This would motivate bus drivers to contribute positively to the company and prevent unionization.

6.

The casual drivers at Reliable Ride have low job satisfaction and high turnover rates. The two main causes are unfair compensation and job allocation. The casual drivers are paid a lower wage for doing the same work as full-time drivers. They also have almost no chance of obtaining the annual performance bonus due to the biased criteria. Secondly, the part-time drivers are mainly offered late night shifts that could be very unpleasant. They often drive in a state of exhaustion and come across many troublesome customers during these hours. Their concerns regarding misbehaviour from customers is ignored,

moreover some drivers are fired solely based on customer complaints without proper investigation. RR should take action to fairly treat their part-time workers in order to reduce turnover rates. They should standardize wages and benefits for all drivers, as they are all doing the same work. They should also allow part-time drivers to choose their hours of work and not limit them to late night shifts only. The dispatch system should be fairer and provide all drivers on duty with an equal chance of getting a ride. Taking these steps would positively impact the company’s relationship with casual drivers....