My problem with Uber is not the absolute amount that drivers get paid, but the percentage of my money that ends up in their pocket. While I think Uber provides a valuable service, it does not provide a service that is 25% or more of the ride. Uber also locks a lot of potential income in the form of bonuses (do X rides in 1 week), to force a lot of drivers to work ungodly hours in order to meet those targets.

25% is just their standard, it can change alot. And it does not account for those bonuses you mention.

I'm not sure why you you're saying bonuses are a bad thing? People get paid extra to fulfill metrics?

So talking to drivers, this is my understanding. When Uber started in my country/city a few years ago, drivers could earn X/month if they drove for 8-9 hours a day. Moreover, it was a smooth gradient, so some weeks they could work less and their take home would only go down linearly.

Over the years, the bonus system was implemented. Now, if they drive for 8-9 hours their take home is like half of X/2. Instead they have to drive 12 hours a day and do at least Y rides in the week, to be eligible for roughly a X/2 bonus so their total take home is X.

So, I meet so many drivers who seem super stressed and tired. When asked they say, it is the end of the week for them and they need to complete another 3 rides for the bonus, but they have already been driving for 15 hours, and only have 2 hours to complete the remaining 3 rides.

Its exploitation at its finest.

You mean that at the start they paid drivers a lot, because there weren't that many, and now that there are lots of drivers available, they reduced the pay?

Sounds like supply and demand working as it should to me.

If you want a job where you can work when you want, this is what happens. You don't have a "off" switch. This is not unique to Uber.