Send this page to someone via email Drivers for Uber and Lyft went on strike on Wednesday, protesting what they say are low wages and calling on the companies to provide better compensation. The strikes are being held at a time when both of the popular ridesharing apps are raking in billions of dollars from investors, according to the Associated Press. Wednesday’s strike involves drivers in 10 U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The protests are being held just before Uber’s public stock offering, which is scheduled for Friday. Uber is hoping to raise $9 billion from investors and is anticipating that its value will rise to $91.5 billion. Drivers for ridesharing apps have held protests in the past, but this particular strike has more cities participating. Story continues below advertisement Henry Joseph-Grant, chief commercial officer at Talixo, a booking service portal for taxis and limousines, told Global News: “I empathize with (the drivers). They have a valid point, the peak times for ride-hailing app drivers are at unsocial hours so that affects their work-life balance, having to work late hours. They have shorter rides as well.” Joseph-Grant says the drivers who work for Talixo’s partners in 1,000 different markets worldwide are happier than those who drive for ridesharing apps. “By having pre-booked rides, which serves a large market … you can have happier drivers, and they provide a better service, which, in turn, makes customers happy,” he explained. According to the Associated Press, drivers in New York are planning to switch off their Uber and Lyft apps from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, while Los Angeles drivers have planned a 24-hour strike and a picket line at Los Angeles International Airport. “Lyft said its drivers’ hourly earnings have increased over the last two years, that 75 per cent of its drivers work less than 10 hours per week to supplement existing jobs and that, on average, the company’s drivers earn over $20 an hour,” the Associated Press reports. Story continues below advertisement Lyft told the news outlet: “We know that access to flexible, extra income makes a big difference for millions of people, and we’re constantly working to improve how we can best serve our driver community.” In New York, drivers plan to rally outside the offices of Uber and Lyft in Queens. Ridesharing app drivers also plan to strike in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Stamford, Conn. —With files from the Associated Press<doc-sep>Uber and Lyft drivers staged protests in some major cities Wednesday to call attention to wages and work issues, but travelers didn't seem to have much trouble finding a ride. In both New York and Los Angeles, small groups of drivers picketed as scores of Uber and Lyft cars passed by, staying in service despite boisterous chants imploring them to turn off the smartphone apps they use to pick up passengers. The protest came against the backdrop of the two ride-hailing giants making a play for investors through stock offerings, with billions of dollars in play, at a time when their drivers say they are underpaid. Lyft recently started selling shares to the public, and Uber is on deck. The protests varied by city. In Los Angeles, Rideshare Drivers United urged a 24-hour shutdown starting at 12:01 a.m. PT Wednesday. At Los Angeles International Airport, there were about two dozen protesters in the early morning, but judging from the scores of Uber and Lyft cars passing by, it didn't appear to be having much effect on service. A check of Lyft and Ubers apps about 2 miles from the airport showed an abundance of cars remaining in service. In the Big Apple, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance called for a work stoppage from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET. Some participated in a caravan over the Brooklyn Bridge, and about a dozen protesters rallied near Wall Street. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance, said drivers are fed up with being treated like they’re “expendable” and “liabilities.” She also cited Uber’s compensation system that awards drivers based on a per-minute and per-mile rate that doesn’t correspond with how much riders spend. “That rate has been frozen, so while these companies take in more money from passengers, none of it trickles down to the drivers,” Desai said. A group of taxi drivers stood behind Desai chanting “driving power, union power.” Inder Parmar, an Uber driver since 2013, said that he’s protesting because he feels that the company is exploiting its workers. “I used to make $37 an hour (driving for Uber), and now I make about $9.80 per hour,” Parmar said. From 2013 to 2015, he said he earned $37 an hour, or about $3 per mile. Today, Parmar said he earns $1.15 per mile. “When I’m on call for 12 hours, minus my expenses, I literally go home with zero dollars,” Parmar said. “I have to pay for my gas, car and I have to support my family. With this money I cannot survive.” The most recent pay statement he showed USA TODAY was for January 2019, which was before Uber’s minimum pay increased in NYC. New York has tried to help ride-hailing drivers by taking action in January, setting a minimum pay at $17.22 an hour after expenses. Under the new rules adopted by the commission, some 96% of drivers were expected to see a boost of $10,000 a year. Organizers in New York are demanding livable wages, a guarantee that drivers receive up to 85% of a fare and an end to workers being kicked off the platform without an investigation. Uber's guidelines state that drivers can lose access to the app if their ratings drop too low or if their cancellation rate is high. Also, drivers can immediately lose their accounts if they are reported for violence, discrimination or harassment. Uber says that some low-level offenders have an opportunity to get back on the road if they take a quality improvement test with a third party. "We are exploring ways to create an appeals process for the most contentious cases," Uber says on its website. Protesters turned out in force in San Francisco, and protests were also scheduled for cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. At one point in the early afternoon, protesters blocked traffic on Market Street in front of company headquarters. Uber confirmed it didn't see any major shortage of ride availability and issued a statement saying it respects its drivers. “Drivers are at the heart of our service, and we can’t succeed without them. We’ll continue working to improve drivers’ experience for and with them, every day.” Lyft didn't comment directly on the protest. On Tuesday, it issued a statement saying its drivers earn over $20 an hour on average, and most drive for the service only about 10 hours a week to supplement their regular income. Uber is seeking to raise $1 billion through its initial public offering. Lyft sold its shares to the public for the first time last month. Protesting drivers said more of their fellow workers would have joined up if they had known about the protests. "A lot of them don't know about this," said Laurel Hirschmann, 59, an Uber driver in Los Angeles. "Ninety-eight percent of the drivers are as outraged as we are." #UberLyftStrike: Commuters urged to support drivers by not using Uber, Lyft apps Ridesharing: Should you let kids ride in an Uber alone?<doc-sep>An Uber spokeswoman declined to speculate on the possible effects of a strike, and Lyft did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a statement, Uber said: “Drivers are at the heart of our service — we can’t succeed without them — and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road. Whether it’s more consistent earnings, stronger insurance protections or fully-funded four-year degrees for drivers or their families, we’ll continue working to improve the experience for and with drivers."<doc-sep>Drivers for ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft are planning to turn off their apps to protest what they say are declining wages at a time when both companies are raking in billions of dollars from investors. Organizers are planning demonstrations in 10 U.S. cities Wednesday, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. They’re timing their protests in advance of Uber’s initial public stock offering, which is planned for Friday. Uber aims to raise $9 billion from investors and is expected to be valued at up to $91.5 billion. It’s not the first time drivers for ride-hailing apps have staged protests. Strikes were planned in several cities ahead of Lyft’s IPO last month, although the disruption to riders appeared to be minimal. This time more cities are participating. “Drivers built these billion dollar companies and it is just plain wrong that so many continue to be paid poverty wages while Silicon Valley investors get rich off their labour,” said Brendan Sexton, executive director of the Independent Drivers Guild, in a statement. “All drivers deserve fair pay.” In New York, striking drivers are planning to shut down their services during morning rush hour from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m., while drivers in Los Angeles are planning a 24-hour strike and picket line at Los Angeles International Airport. Lyft said its drivers’ hourly earnings have increased over the last two years, that 75% of its drivers work less than 10 hours per week to supplement existing jobs and that on average the company’s drivers earn over $20 an hour. “We know that access to flexible, extra income makes a big difference for millions of people, and we’re constantly working to improve how we can best serve our driver community,” Lyft said. In New York, striking drivers are planning to proceed in a caravan across the Brooklyn Bridge and then hold a rally outside Uber and Lyft offices in Queens. Strikes are also planned in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Stamford, Connecticut.<doc-sep>
Some drivers for ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft turned off their apps to protest what they say are declining wages at a time when both companies are raking in billions of dollars from investors. Demonstrations took place Wednesday in 10 U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, as well as some European locations like London. But they did not seem to cause much disruption and many riders were still able to hail a car with ease. The protests arrived just ahead of Uber's initial public stock offering, which is planned for Friday. Uber hopes to raise $9 billion US and is expected to be valued at up to $91.5 billion. It's not the first time drivers for ride-hailing apps have staged protests. Strikes were planned in several cities ahead of Lyft's IPO last month, although the disruption to riders appeared to be minimal. More cities are participating in Wednesday's protest, however. 'All drivers deserve fair pay' "Drivers built these billion-dollar companies and it is just plain wrong that so many continue to be paid poverty wages while Silicon Valley investors get rich off their labour," Brendan Sexton, executive director of the Independent Drivers Guild, said in a statement. "All drivers deserve fair pay." The guild organized a caravan of Uber drivers across the Brooklyn Bridge Wednesday. Some drivers went offline in New York between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., though it was still easy to locate a driver during rush hour near Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Drivers in Los Angeles are participating in a 24-hour strike and picket line at Los Angeles International Airport. 'Drivers are at the heart of our service' In the U.K., the Independent Workers Union said some Uber drivers are observing a nine-hour boycott. The union demands, among other things, increased fares per mile and a decrease in commissions paid to Uber. Uber, in a prepared statement Wednesday, said it is constantly working to improve the working environment for drivers. "Drivers are at the heart of our service — we can't succeed without them — and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road." Rideshare drivers protest at the airport in Los Angeles. (AFP/Getty Images) Lyft said its drivers' hourly earnings have increased over the last two years, that 75 per cent of its drivers work less than 10 hours a week to supplement existing jobs and that on average the company's drivers earn over $20 an hour before subtracting expenses such as gas and vehicle maintenance. "We know that access to flexible, extra income makes a big difference for millions of people, and we're constantly working to improve how we can best serve our driver community," Lyft said. Labour actions also took place in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Stamford, Conn.