Uber, Lyft Drivers Set to Go on Strike During Morning Rush

Drivers for Uber and Lyft are set to go on strike Wednesday morning — and commuters may need to adjust their travel plans.

Instead of taking fares during the morning rush between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., many drivers will lead a procession of ride-share vehicles over the Brooklyn Bridge for two hours, ending with a rally outside the company’s New York City headquarters in Long Island City.

Customers will still be able to log onto the app during the strike times, but should anticipate possible longer wait times before getting a ride.

New York City drivers will be joining the nationwide protest, as many employees — upset over what they consider unfair standards — demand better job security and better pay.

“The stress, this anxiety you have all witnessed, so many of our fellow drivers had to commit suicide, because they could not take it anymore,” said one driver.

The ride-hailing app is set to start selling shares to the public on Thursday and may be worth around $90 billion dollars, but drivers say they’re not seeing enough of that profit for themselves.

“When I first started, you work like eight hours, make decent money and go home,” said driver Aziz Bah, who has been working for different ride-sharing apps for nearly five years. “Over the years, more drivers hired by these apps overflowed the market, and as a result pay went down, we suffered paycuts.”

Bah is part of the Independent Drivers Guild, which recently was able to get a first-in-the-nation minimum wage for drivers. The Guild is hoping to get the same kind arrangement for drivers across the country.

Uber meanwhile says it is working to improve the driver experience “whether it’s more consistent earnings, stronger insurance, protections or fully funded four-year degrees for drivers or their families,” a spokesperson said. A Lyft spokesperson said “drivers’ hourly earnings have increased over the last two years,” adding they can “earn over 20 dollars per hour.”

There are more than 430,000 daily Uber users and 150,000 Lyft users on average in New York City every day, according to the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Photo Credit: NBC 4 New York

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