Drivers can switch on and switch off whenever they want. Drivers must actively accept a ride. The passenger controls the destination and route, and provides managerial feedback (ratings).
> Although classified as independent contractors, Uber drivers are employees. They are required to follow a litany of detailed requirements imposed on them by Uber and they are graded, and are subject to termination, based on their failure to adhere to these requirements (such as rules regarding their conduct with customers, the cleanliness of their vehicles, their timeliness in picking up customers and taking them to their destination, what they are allowed to say to customers, etc.)
Additionally, one of the details Uber controls is that Uber drivers cannot drive older cars (https://www.uber.com/driver-jobs) - Car requirements are a year "2000 or newer (2005 in some cities)".
> If I'm hiring contract models for a fashion shoot, I can dictate their aesthetics. Likewise, Uber can require its contractors to use equipment which meets a certain aesthetic standard.
> It's perfectly okay for the hiring firm to give you detailed guidelines or specifications for the results it expects from you. But how you go about achieving those results should be entirely up to you.
So a clean car, being on time for a pick-up, or what to say probably fit into specifications for the results Uber expects, however how the drivers go about achieving those results should be entirely up to the contractor. But the model year of the car crosses that line. It tells the driver how the job is to be done - with a car newer than 2000 (or 2005 in some cities).
Uber is most likely making this requirement to lower the probability of break-downs during the drive. So there's logic behind their reasoning, but their requirement also limits the independent contractor in a way that a company would limit their employee.
What exactly is Uber (the company) controlling?