Who We Are & Why We Fight for Drivers
We defend the rights of private hire and app-based drivers across the UK.
Drivers Representation & Advocacy
At Drivers Representation & Advocacy Ltd (DRA), we are committed to defending the rights and livelihoods of licensed private hire and app-based drivers across the UK.
Whether you’re facing licensing delays, unfair reviews, or struggling with confusing regulations, we’re here to stand with you. From renewal applications to “fit and proper” assessments, our team provides expert, ethical, and dependable support so no driver has to face the system alone.
We’re not just advisors, we’re advocates for fairness, dignity, and justice in every case.
We believe every driver deserves:
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Fair treatment by licensing authorities
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Access to representation, regardless of background
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Support navigating the system, not fear or confusion
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A voice that’s heard, respected, and empowered
Our trained caseworkers and experienced team make the complex simple — helping drivers understand their rights and defend their ability to work.
Empowering Every Driver
At Drivers Representation & Advocacy Ltd (DRA), we exist to create a safer, fairer future for drivers navigating the private hire and app-based transport industries. For too long, drivers have been left vulnerable to opaque decisions, inconsistent regulations, and exploitative practices. DRA was founded to challenge this imbalance and stand firmly by those behind the wheel.
Our mission is to:
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Protect Livelihoods:
We defend drivers facing unfair licence revocations, suspensions, and refusals. Your right to work is our top priority. -
Challenge Systemic Exploitation:
We fight against the unjust treatment of drivers by both platform companies and local authorities, pushing back on decisions that put profit before people. -
Build Grassroots Driver Power:We empower drivers to organise collectively, ensuring your voice is heard not just individually, but as part of a growing movement.
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Educate & Equip Drivers:
We provide tools, resources, and guidance so every driver can understand their rights and feel confident taking action.
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Educate & Equip Drivers:
We provide tools, resources, and guidance so every driver can understand their rights and feel confident taking action. -
Campaign for Industry Reform:
We advocate for structural change within the private hire and gig economy, demanding greater fairness, transparency, and accountability for all.
Our Founder
Yaseen Aslam is a globally respected figure in the movement for gig worker rights — but his journey started where yours might have too: behind the wheel.
Yaseen Aslam began organising Uber drivers in late 2013, initially via WhatsApp groups sharing practical tips and frustrations about deactivations, fare cuts, and passenger safety. By September 2014, he helped convene in-person meetings and formally launched LPHADA (the London Private Hire App‑Based Drivers Association)—the first ever gig‑worker organisation in the UK—focused on app‑based private hire drivers. LPHADA marked a watershed in gig worker organising, bringing together migrant and precarious workers into collective action. Aslam went on to co‑found the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) (after leaving IWGB in early 2020) and became the lead claimant in Aslam v Uber, a landmark legal challenge beginning in 2015–16. His case ultimately succeeded in the UK Supreme Court in February 2021, where it was unanimously ruled that Uber drivers are “workers” entitled to at least the national minimum wage and paid holidays once they log onto the app.
From Legal Victories to Global Influence
In 2015, he co-founded United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) — a grassroots organisation that brought visibility to the struggles of private hire and gig workers. Under Yaseen’s leadership, UPHD mobilised drivers at scale and later affiliated with the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), placing platform workers at the forefront of a growing UK labour movement.
In 2020, he co-founded the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) to build a nationwide structure for gig worker organising. Through UPHD and ADCU, Yaseen helped coordinate some of the largest driver strikes and protests in the UK gig economy, taking direct action against platform companies such as Uber and Bolt and licensing authorities like Transport for London (TfL). These actions mobilised drivers across major UK cities — including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Glasgow — demonstrating the depth of his organising power and national reach.
But Yaseen’s impact goes far beyond courtrooms. For over a decade, he has voluntarily supported hundreds of drivers dealing with licensing injustices, including unfair revocations, discrimination, and procedural abuse by councils and regulators. His deep trust within the industry — particularly among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) drivers, who make up the majority of the UK’s private hire workforce — broke through years of isolation and fear. His efforts empowered thousands of drivers to unionise, organise, and demand their rights.
Yaseen’s influence extends across borders. In 2020, he played a founding role in the International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers (IAATW) — the world’s first global platform worker coalition. The inaugural convention, held in the UK, brought together gig worker leaders from 23 countries, creating a unified international front against exploitation by companies like Uber, Lyft, Grab, and Bolt.
He is frequently featured in leading global media, including the BBC, Channel 4, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Wired, New York Times, and Al Jazeera, and is consulted by researchers, policymakers, and legal experts. Yet despite international recognition, Yaseen remains deeply grounded in the communities he serves. He is not an academic or politician — he is a working-class organiser who turned his lived experience into a vehicle for systemic change.
Today, as the founder of Drivers Representation & Advocacy Ltd (DRA), Yaseen continues this mission. DRA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to representing licensed and gig economy drivers, challenging exploitation in both the public and private sectors, and building grassroots power through education, legal support, and campaigning. DRA works at the intersection of platform justice, worker rights, and regulatory reform, and is driven by the same values that have guided Yaseen’s work from the beginning: solidarity, justice, and collective action.
Yaseen Aslam’s legacy is not just one of legal victories — it is a movement built from the ground up. His work continues to inspire drivers around the world to believe in their own power — and to organise for change.