Ride-Hail Drivers Strike Today. Will Riders Boycott?

Uber is expected to be valued at $91 billion for an Initial Public Offering this spring. Initial investors will get rich. Drivers won't get much.

1 minute read

May 8, 2019, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Transportation Network Companies

Filip Frącz / Flickr

Laurel Wamsley reports: "Ahead of Uber's initial public offering, drivers for Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies plan to strike, turning off the apps as they flex their collective muscles to say: What about us?"

The strike is happening today, and drivers in ten cities around the United States are also calling for passengers to "temporarily boycott" the ride-hailing services, according to Wamsley.

Among the drivers' demands in Los Angeles are a 10% cap on commissions taken by Uber and Lyft, hourly minimum pay and fare breakdowns on passenger receipts that show the companies' take. New York drivers are demanding an end to sudden account deactivations and the right to appeal through the courts.

"The strike was spearheaded by Rideshare Drivers United, a Los Angeles-based association of drivers," Wamsley adds to the many additional details about the strike reported in the article..

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 in NPR

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