Uber, Lyft drivers turn off apps in protest of work status

[Guest Indiana]

NEW YORK — The executives at Uber are working hard to design a future where the company earns billions of dollars by allowing riders to summon fully automated robotaxis.

Until then, they must rely on an army of human drivers — nearly 4 million across the globe — to keep the business humming. The challenge is to figure out how to make their drivers happy while also making money, and right now the company is losing on both fronts as it heads into its initial public offering on Friday — the largest technology IPO of the year.

Drivers complain about low wages and being classified as contract workers instead of employees, which cuts them off from the benefits that go with it.

Lyft, which beat Uber to the public market last month, is dealing with similar issues. On Wednesday, drivers for both companies participated in strikes across the country, pledging to turn off their apps for hours to call attention to their plight, although it’s unclear how many actually took part and the impact on customers appeared minimal.

“The drivers are the one who helped Uber to be $100 billion, nobody else, and the drivers are the ones who are suffering,” said Inder Parmar, 54, an Uber driver who lives in a suburb of New York City. “Uber and Lyft, they figured out how to exploit the drivers, and that’s what they’re doing right now.”

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/uber-lyft-drivers-turn-off-apps-in-protest-of-work/article_b0a5f101-832f-573c-ad2e-a8379f048d3b.html

[admin]

Vote with your dollars.

Using ridesharing services should be looked at as shameful. Hitting the exploitative companies where it hurts.

Conversely, Uber and Lyft drivers should unionize. That is the only check on these software giants.