FREENOW drivers' claim
We strongly believe that drivers are workers, not self-employed contractors. We will fight for the compensation that we believe you should receive.
FREENOW drivers' claim
Leigh Day is acting for FREENOW private hire drivers who may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation.
FREENOW private hire drivers have worked under contracts which state that drivers are “self-employed for all purpose, including employment”. We are arguing that this is wrong and that FREENOW private hire drivers are in fact workers.
Workers are entitled to certain rights and protections, including holiday pay and the right to receive at least the National Minimum Wage.
If we are successful, we will claim backpay for unpaid holiday pay and underpayment of the National Minimum Wage for the entire period that you have worked for FREENOW.
How do I join the claim?
If you have driven a private hire vehicle for FREENOW in the last 10 weeks, you may be eligible to join the claim.
It only takes a few minutes to check your eligibility and sign up – just click on the button below and enter your details.
Join the claim
If I win my claim against FREENOW, how will I be compensated?
We estimate that FREENOW private hire drivers may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation for unpaid holiday pay and failure to pay the National Minimum Wage.
Your claim will be on a “no win, no fee” agreement. This means that you will not be left worrying about how you’ll pay for the claim. You will pay nothing upfront.
If your claim is successful, you will be entitled to receive compensation. You will know in advance exactly how much we will deduct (25% plus VAT of the compensation figure). The rest of the compensation will be yours to keep.
For more information about the claim, visit our FAQ section
What our clients say
FREENOW private hire drivers have worked under contracts which state that they are self-employed. Self-employed contractors are not entitled to any workers’ rights.
We are arguing that due to the way in which FREENOW private hire drivers work in practice, they are workers rather than self-employed contractors.
Workers have the right to receive benefits including paid holiday and to be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. We are bringing claims on behalf of FREENOW private hire drivers to ensure they can access these benefits and protections.
We previously represented thousands of drivers in a similar worker status claim against Uber. In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers were workers and were therefore entitled to receive holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage.
Given the similarities in how Uber and FREENOW private hire drivers work, we believe there is a strong case that FREENOW private hire drivers should also be classified as workers and receive back pay for unpaid holiday pay and underpayment of the National Minimum Wage for the entire period that you have worked for FREENOW.
We understand that you may have some questions about the process.
To make the whole process easier, we have set up a dedicated area for FREENOW drivers to find out more information about the claim and to sign-up. We’ve also created some helpful resources to help you understand the FREENOW drivers’ claim:
- You can check out our FAQs page for answers to the most common questions about the claim; a great place to get answers quickly.
- We do not act for big corporations; we act for individuals. Want to know who we are? Read our About Us page.
If you can’t find what you want on the website, a member of our team will be happy to talk you through the process. Email freenow@leighday.co.uk or call 02037277208.
Anyone who has driven a private hire vehicle for FREENOW in England within the last 10 weeks may be eligible to join the claim.
To start your claim, you simply need to:
- Provide basic personal and eligibility details; and
- Agree to the terms and conditions.
You can do so via our secure online form, or you can speak to one of our friendly team members by phone.
How much will it cost to sign-up?
The claim is ‘no win, no fee’ meaning that you pay nothing upfront or if your claim is unsuccessful, as long as you abide by the terms and conditions.
If you succeed in your claim, our fee will be a percentage of your compensation (25% plus VAT).
After we have assessed your eligibility and you have agreed to our ‘no win no fee’ agreement, you will be part of the claim; it is that simple!
Once you have signed up to the claim and agreed our terms, that’s when we (Leigh Day) get to work.
- You will receive a confirmation email from us letting you know that you have successfully signed up to the claim.
- We will notify ACAS of your intention to start proceedings and then submit your claim to the Employment Tribunal.
- Once your claim has been submitted to ACAS, you will receive periodical updates from Leigh Day, so that you are kept informed every step of the way. Our communications will include:
- requests for further information to support your claim;
- regular claim updates; and
- news on any major developments affecting your claims.
Important to note: An employment claim has several stages to work through so it can take a long time, years in many cases, to conclude. Where possible, we will be claiming for losses incurred during the entire time that you have driven for FREENOW. The amount of compensation owed to you will therefore continue to increase as the claim progresses, as long as you are still a driver for FREENOW.
If your claim is successful, you will receive a sum of compensation. Find out more about this in our FAQs section. From that, you’ll need to pay the agreed fee of 25% plus VAT for the services we have provided.
If your claim is not successful, you will not need to pay anything under our ‘no win no fee’ agreement, provided you keep to the terms of the agreement
Employment law specialists
Leigh Day is a leading employment and discrimination law firm. We have secured worker's rights for Uber drivers, compensation for Deliveroo riders and are currently acting for Addison Lee drivers, Bolt drivers, Ola drivers, Stuart couriers and BCA drivers.
We do not act for big corporations; we act for individuals. Our aim is to ensure that FREENOW private hire drivers receive the workers’ rights they deserve. That is why we are encouraging all FREENOW private hire drivers to join the claim and help fight for basic worker protections and benefits – such as receiving holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage.
Why choose Leigh Day?
Experienced claimant lawyers
At Leigh Day, we don’t act for big corporations – we act for individuals. Our employment and discrimination lawyers have plenty of experience bringing group claims against major corporations, including Uber and ASDA. In these claims, we acted for groups of clients numbering from 15 to 50,000 in size.
Specialist legal teams
The experience we have built up over more than 30 years of holding corporations to account is unrivalled. This means you can rest assured our expert team knows the best way to represent you and your group claim.
Successful track record
We are leading employment and discrimination lawyers, and are top-ranked by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners.
What is the claim about?
FREENOW private hire drivers have worked under contracts which state that they are self-employed. Self-employed contractors are not entitled to receive paid holiday or the National Minimum Wage.
Due to the way in which FREENOW private hire drivers work in practice, we believe that they are in fact workers, rather than self-employed contractors.
If successful, FREENOW private hire drivers may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation.
Check your eligibility and join the claim
Who can join the claim?
In order to join the claim, you must have driven a private hire vehicle for FREENOW in the last 10 weeks.
Joining the claim is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. You don’t need to provide any documents to find out if you can join the claim.
What is the claim worth?
If the claim is successful, we think that drivers may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation. The more you have worked for FREENOW, the higher your compensation is likely to be.
The total amount of compensation will be calculated based on data from FREENOW and your financial documents, such as your bank statements and receipts. You do not need to provide any documents in order to sign up to the claim.
We are claiming:
- Backpay for unpaid holiday (we will be claiming holiday pay for the entire period you have worked for FREENOW).
- Compensation if you’ve been paid less than the National Minimum Wage; and
- Compensation for failure to provide you with a written contract which sets out certain rights.
Only drivers who join the claim will be eligible to claim compensation.
Check your eligibility and join the claim
How do I join the claim?
Our sign-up process is as straightforward and transparent as possible. It only takes a few minutes to find out if you are eligible to join the FREENOW claim.
We don't need you to provide any additional documents to check your eligibility. The full terms for joining the claim are set out in our Damages Based Agreement – which you can review after checking your eligibility.
We treat all personal data in accordance with our privacy policy.
Frequently asked questions
We think that FREENOW private hire drivers may be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation, depending on how long you have worked for FREENOW.
We are claiming:
- Backpay for unpaid holiday
- Compensation if you received less than the National Minimum Wage; and
- Compensation for failure to provide you with a written contract which sets out certain rights.
We will calculate your compensation using data from FREENOW, as well as your financial documents such as bank statements, your tax returns/accounts and receipts.
If you are successful in your claim, we will deduct 25% plus VAT from your compensation for our legal fees.
If you lose, you will not have to pay FREENOW’s legal fees, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as if you behave in a vexatious, abusive, disruptive or otherwise unreasonable manner, or ignore an order of the Tribunal.
Yes, you can still join the claim if you have completed a private hire journey for FREENOW in the last 10 weeks, even if you have since stopped driving for FREENOW.
FREENOW should not penalise its drivers for bringing a legal claim.
If FREENOW deactivated your account or changed the conditions of your work because of your legal claim, you may be entitled to additional compensation.
If you join the FREENOW drivers’ claim and then stop driving for FREENOW, or if FREENOW deactivates your account, you should update our team via email (freenow@leighday.co.uk) and let us know the date you last drove for FREENOW.
Leaving FREENOW will not affect your ability to continue with your claim.
We see no reason why you should have less flexibility as a worker than as a self-employed contractor.
FREENOW simply needs to allow its drivers to take holiday and to pay them for this, in the same way that any worker is entitled to paid holiday. FREENOW also needs to make sure that the rate it pays its drivers is high enough that you receive at least the National Minimum Wage once you take into account expenses, like petrol.
You would not need to have a fixed working pattern or a set number of working hours for FREENOW to calculate your holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage.
No, you do not need to provide any documents to join the claim.
Once you join the claim, we will contact you with further information. During the course of the claim, we may ask you to provide documents to support your claim, such as documents which may assist us in calculating your compensation. We will contact you if we need anything from you.
Yes.
Leigh Day represented thousands of drivers in a worker status claim against Uber.
In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers were workers, rather than self-employed contractors.
Given the similarities in how Uber and FREENOW private hire drivers work, we believe that FREENOW drivers also have a strong claim that they should be classified as workers and receive holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage.
To find out if you’re eligible, or to start your FREENOW claim, get in touch with our expert employment lawyers.
- Fill out our online enquiry form.
- Call us on 02037277208.
- Email the team at freenow@leighday.co.uk.
Contact a member of the team
Annie Powell
Annie is a specialist employment and discrimination lawyer
Leila Moran
Leila Moran is an senior associate solicitor in the employment department.