This Week In Rideshare: 70%, Minimum Wage, and Driverless.
Lyft promises pay, Minneapolis considers minimum wage and Waymo hits a bicyclist. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
Lyft drivers receive 70% of payments
Lyft has a new promise for drivers. CBS News reported:
The rideshare company is pledging to pay its lower-earning drivers the difference between their take-home pay (after insurance and taxes) and 70% of their clients’ fares each week, Lyft said Tuesday in a statement.
On Tuesday, Lyft said its drivers on average earn about 88% of rider payments, after taxes and other fees. But it noted that about 15 in 100 drivers earned less than 70% of their riders’ payments, after fees, on a weekly basis last year.
Under Lyft’s new benefit package, riders will be able to access a breakdown of how they are paid out for their completed rides, in addition to being able to earn extra money for accepting scheduled pick-ups. The company will also offer an extra $100 for drivers who complete 50 rides with an electric vehicle within a week between February 12 and July 1.
Minimum wage for drivers
Minneapolis is considering a minimum wage for drivers. Axios reported:
If Minneapolis leaders enact a proposal being pushed by rideshare activists, Uber and Lyft drivers would be guaranteed to make the equivalent of the minimum wage ($15.57/hour). That’s according to a new report from the city auditor.
Mayor Jacob Frey and members of the city council majority coalition are exploring three different models for minimum pay.
In a presentation to the council on Tuesday, the auditor confirmed that all three options would guarantee drivers earn something like the city’s minimum wage.
The model drivers prefer — which would pay them $1.40 per mile and 52 cents per minute — would likely deliver the highest pay, audit staffer Andrew Hawkins told the council.
Driverless car hits bicyclist
A Waymo vehicle hit a bicyclist in San Francisco. The Verge reported:
A driverless Waymo vehicle struck a cyclist in San Francisco, causing minor injuries. It was the latest incident in the city at a time when tensions around autonomous vehicles are particularly high after a driverless Cruise vehicle injured a pedestrian.
The incident, which was first reported by Reuters, occurred at 3:02PM on February 6th at the intersection of 17th and Mississippi streets in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. A Google Maps Street View of the intersection shows a flat, well-lit area surrounded by warehouses with unprotected bike lanes on both streets.
Police officers arriving at the scene found an autonomous vehicle had struck a cyclist, who only reported “non-life threatening injuries,” according to Eve Laokwansathitaya, public information officer with SFPD.
Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina had more details to share. The Waymo vehicle was stopped at a four-way stop, as an oncoming large truck began to turn into the intersection. The vehicle waited until it was its turn and then also began to proceed through the intersection, failing to notice the cyclist who was traveling behind the truck.
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