We have spoken with the CEO of Vecttor, the company with the second most VTC licenses in Spain to find out what they ask of their drivers and what they give them in return
There is talk of marathon days, minimum billing… At autobild.es we have chatted with Miguel Ángel Toledo, CEO of Vecttor to find out about the working conditions of his employees. With the data provided, we have calculated that after billing 6,000 euros, a Cabify driver earns a little less than 2,200 per month.
His is the second company with the most Driver Transport Vehicle (VTC) licenses in Spain. As of today, they have 3,000 permits with which they operate in five autonomous communities (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga and Valencia).
Its workforce is made up of 3,000 drivers but given the current growth of the sector (which after the stoppage forced by the pandemic is growing again in activity) they hope to add another 1,000 before the end of the year.
High demand or why taking a Cabify is more expensive at certain times of the day or days of the week
VTC driver, not Cabify, Uber…
Entering job portals and finding job offers for VTC drivers is easy. There are many companies that, like Vecttor, are looking to expand their workforce now that mobility is recovering pre-pandemic figures and many of the VTC licenses that were paralyzed by the COVID-19 restrictions are back in operation.
In this regard, and before moving forward, it is important to clarify that being a VTC driver is not being a Cabify, Uber or Bolt driver. These three are the platforms through which companies such as Vecttor, Auro or other smaller ones make their vehicles and drivers available to users.
The platforms hardly have any drivers on the payroll, so if you ask for a Cabify, both the car and the professional who picks you up are hired by the owner of the license and the vehicle, not by the platform, even if its logo appears on the bodywork .
What it takes to be a Vecttor driver
Vecttor works almost exclusively with Cabify. This means that the services of its 3,000 drivers respond almost entirely and with the exception of some private services to the demand of users who hire travel through the platform.
“Vecttor has been providing service since 2017; half of our drivers are in Madrid, another 1,000 work in Barcelona; all are salaried,” explains Miguel Ángel Toledo.
Two years of permission and eight points
If you respond to one of Vecttor’s job offers, you will be asked to meet a series of requirements. To start, you have to have a driving license for a minimum of two years (with a class B permit it is enough) and at least eight points.
In addition, the applicant must demonstrate his ability to drive through a driving test:
a journey of 10-15 minutes in real conditions (urban area, road and parking) in which, according to the manager, not only is it checked how the applicant drives, it is also decided whether it is better to assign him an automatic car, a manual …
Languages and ‘people skills’
Other non-quantifiable requirements that Miguel Ángel Toledo adds as essential are “that he likes to drive and has a passion for the customer”.
On the subject of languages, it is essential to master Spanish and it is valued as an added value to know someone else, especially English.
There is no age limit (half of the workforce is over 50 years old), nor is there a quota reserved for women. “Today, only 8% are drivers, but we would like to increase that percentage,” says Toledo.
Salary, work hours, days off…
Now let’s see what those who meet the above requirements and are selected as Vecttor drivers receive in return. Important: these are the conditions of this company, they do not have to coincide with the conditions that drivers of other companies have, although they should all start from the regulatory agreement of the sector.
Salary of 2,210 euros if you invoice 6,000
How much a VTC driver earns per month is variable.
The minimum is the base salary set at 1,250 euros per month; To this figure, the company adds 100 euros per month during the first three months of work. “They are those first months in which the driver finds it more difficult to get used to the car, to the service, to the people… and it is more difficult to reach billing,” says the CEO of Vecttor.
Because to this fixed salary is added, from the first day, a variable that is set based on various criteria, the most important being billing.
For a Vecttor driver to start adding benefits to the base salary, they have to invoice a minimum of 3,850 euros per month. Once this goal is reached, your profit will be increased by 40% of the extra billing. For example, if you invoice 6,000 euros per month, the commission will be 860 euros and your final salary: 2,110 euros.
Hours: minimum 40 hours per week
The complicated thing is to reach not just those 6,000 euros of turnover, but 3,850 euros
“The drivers have to complete 40 hours of effective work per week,” explains Miguel Ángel. However, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, the time that they remain inactive for rest does not form part of that “effective work”.
Vecttor has a tool that quantifies the effective working time of each driver. The minimum must be 40 hours a week with two weekly days off; what there is not is a maximum.
Bonuses and penalties
In addition to billing, this company offers bonuses in the form of restaurant checks or more chances to move up based on good referrals left by drivers and other indications of quality service.
Be careful, there are also penalties. Drivers who suffer accidents and are responsible may lose part of the variable remuneration, never the base salary.
Better conditions
From Vecttor they defend that the safety and well-being of their drivers is a fundamental pillar of their business. They try to put an end to the idea that “being a VTC driver is a passing job” and they are committed to training and the possibility of promotion as added values.
For the preparation of this report we have decided to take Vecttor as a reference due to its high volume of licenses, but we have also contacted other smaller companies. Exceeding the minimum of 40 hours to earn more than the base salary is a widespread practice among all VTC drivers, wherever they work.
So is variable remuneration based on turnover. However, we have verified that there are companies that give that added 40% without a billing limit, which means that while a Vecttor driver who bills 3,500 euros per month may not get a bonus, in other companies they will have a salary at the end of the month 1,400 euro.
