International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers

What International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers does

IAATW is an international non-profit federation established in January 2020 in Oxford, England, that brings together app-based driver and courier organizations to advocate for the rights of platform transport workers. The federation comprises more than twenty member organizations spanning six continents, with affiliates in France, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, the United States, and Canada. Its beneficiaries are app-based transport workers—ride-share drivers, taxi workers, and delivery couriers—who face exclusion from labor protections, algorithmic management, unfair deactivation practices, and inadequate compensation across international markets. IAATW is governed by a board led by President Biju Mathew, with regional Vice Presidents including Shaik Salauddin for South Asia (also General Secretary of IFAT) and Omar Parker for sub-Saharan Africa (also Secretary General of NEFSA).

IAATW's core deliverables are research publications and advocacy outputs rather than technology products. These include the Global Reports on App-Mediated Industrial Relations, Regional Shadow Reports covering South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, and specialized reports such as the Subscription Model Report exposing how platform companies evolve business models to evade emerging labor standards. The organization engages directly with international labor bodies: it presented research at the 113th International Labour Conference, and filed a complaint against Uber under OECD Guidelines with the Dutch National Contact Point in 2021, which culminated in a landmark final statement in May 2025 recommending reforms on wages, deactivation, and union engagement.

The organization is funded through member contributions and institutional grants, with the Ford Foundation specifically supporting the 113th ILC Global Report authored by Blake Harwell of Voyageur Strategies. IAATW operates without disclosed revenue, traditional ownership, or paid products; its reach is mediated through affiliate organizations and supranational policy channels rather than direct-to-worker commercial sales.

Name

International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers

Legal name

International Alliance of App-based Transport Workers

Website

https://iaatw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IAATW is a non-profit international federation of more than twenty app-based driver and courier organizations across six continents, advocating for labor rights, fair wages, algorithmic accountability, and collective representation for platform transport workers through research, regulatory engagement, and global campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor advocacy and worker representation services

NAICS

Regulation and Administration of Transportation Programs (92612), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Social Protection & Occupational Safety Standards Cooperation (BPADANAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transport Safety & Infrastructure Standards Cooperation (BPADANAK)

Keywords

• Gig worker advocacy
• Labor federation services
• Platform worker organizing
• Policy research reports
• International worker representation

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The IAATW is a global federation of driver and courier organizations representing app-based transport workers. It coordinates cross-border worker advocacy, conducts policy research on the platform economy, and engages with international institutions such as the ILO and OECD to influence labor standards for gig workers. Its activities include filing formal complaints against platform companies (e.g., a Dutch NCP complaint against Uber), publishing reports, and supporting the formation and capacity-building of national driver associations.

Product overview

IAATW is an international federation of driver organisations focused on advocacy and research rather than a technology product company. The organization's offerings consist of publications and reports documenting the platform economy's labour practices. Key offerings include global reports on app-mediated industrial relations, regional shadow reports from South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, and specialized reports on emerging business models like subscription/SaaS models. The IAATW affiliates directory provides a searchable directory of affiliated worker organisations across multiple continents. All publications are available through the publications page at iaatw.org/publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Country Driver Working Conditions Report
• OECD National Contact Point Complaint against Uber

Quantifiable outcome

• Filed OECD complaint against Uber under Dutch NCP, resulting in landmark findings on wages, deactivation practices, and need for union engagement
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and member.

• Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) for Responsible Business ConductcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021IAATW filed a complaint against Uber under OECD Guidelines with the Dutch NCP, which issued a landmark final statement in May 2025 recommending Uber address wages, deactivation practices, and union engagement.
• National VTC Movement (France)memberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization of IAATW representing app-based transport workers in France, part of the Europe, North Africa and Middle East region.
• App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) - United KingdommemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing app drivers and couriers in the United Kingdom.
• Union of owners of App and Internet drivers (UPCAAPI) - ArgentinamemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing app and internet drivers in Argentina, part of the Mexico, Central and South America region.
• Asociación Conductores Unidos de Aplicaciones (ACUA Chile)memberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization of app-based drivers in Chile.
• Asociación Conductores Uruguayos de Aplicaciones (ACUA) - UruguaymemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing app-based drivers in Uruguay.
• Unión Nacional de Conductores de Plataformas Digitales y Similares (UNCOPLADIS) - PanamámemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization of platform drivers in Panama, actively quoted in IAATW press releases.
• Unión de Trabajadores de Plataformas Digitales de Colombia (UNIDAPP)memberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing digital platform workers in Colombia.
• Indian Federation Of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT) - IndiacoreOthers · 1 January 2020Key member organization in South Asia, represented by General Secretary Shaik Salauddin who is actively involved in IAATW leadership and advocacy.
• Asosiasi Driver Online (ADO) - IndonesiamemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing online drivers in Indonesia, Southeast Asia region.
• Western Cape E-hailing Association (WCEA) - South AfricacoreOthers · 1 January 2020Key member organization in Sub-Saharan Africa, with General Secretary Omar Parker representing the region on IAATW Board.
• Rideshare Drivers United (RDU) - United StatesmemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing rideshare drivers in California, USA.
• New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) - United StatesmemberOthers · 1 January 2020Member organization representing taxi and app-based drivers in New York, USA.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020IAATW engages with the ILO to advocate for labor standards for platform workers. IAATW presents reports at International Labour Conferences and contributes to standard-setting processes for platform work conventions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): The ITUC is the world's largest trade union confederation, representing national union centers globally. It engages on platform worker rights but as one of many priorities, making it a broader incumbent with overlapping but less specialized focus than IAATW.

Regional players

• European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF): The ETF is a regional federation of European transport worker unions covering road, rail, aviation, and ports. It is a regional complement to IAATW and competes for influence on EU platform worker regulation (e.g., the Platform Work Directive).

Emerging players

• Fairwork Foundation: Fairwork is an Oxford-based research initiative that evaluates platform worker conditions globally using worker testimony and publishes annual ratings. It is a research-driven counterpart to IAATW's advocacy work, sharing Oxford roots and overlapping evidence base.
• Worker Driven Justice: Worker Driven Justice is a US-based coalition focused on passing and implementing worker-driven social responsibility legislation. While not transport-specific, it parallels IAATW's strategy of using legal and policy frameworks to hold platform-style intermediaries accountable to workers.
• Clean Clothes Campaign: Clean Clothes Campaign is a global alliance focused on garment worker rights, using cross-border advocacy and brand accountability campaigns. It shares IAATW's playbook of cross-border federation advocacy and supply-chain worker representation, though in a different sector.

Direct peers

• International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF): The ITF is a global federation of transport worker unions covering seafarers, dockers, road transport, aviation, and rail workers. It is the closest structural analog to IAATW at a global scale and represents a broader transport worker constituency, including adjacent logistics workers IAATW does not yet cover.
• UNI Global Union: UNI is a global union federation covering service-sector workers, with an active platform and gig economy workstream. It pursues cross-border platform worker rights through ILO/OECD channels similarly to IAATW, making it a direct comparator in global service-worker advocacy.
• IndustriALL Global Union: IndustriALL is a global union federation representing workers in mining, manufacturing, and adjacent sectors. While not transport-focused, it shares IAATW's structure as a federation of national affiliates and engages at ILO/OECD on platform and supply-chain labor issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Alliance of App-Based Transport Workers