This Week In Rideshare: Deactivations, Minimum Wage, and Wait Times.
Drivers fight back, data tells all, and Uber gives insights. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
DRIVERS FIGHT BACK
Chicago rideshare drivers are fighting back against deactivations. Capital & Main explains:
Chicago rideshare drivers gathered between the first and second terminals of O’Hare International Airport on June 25 to launch their latest call for change: an end to “unfair deactivations.”
Chicago rideshare drivers have already been pushing for passage of the Chicago Rideshare Living Wage and Safety Ordinance, known as the FairShare Ordinance, introduced last year. That legislation would raise drivers’ pay, give them two weeks’ notice before deactivation and require Uber and Lyft to share deactivation details with city regulators and drivers, among other new regulations.
Last week’s demonstration linked the Chicago effort to a national campaign protesting deactivations, Activate Respect, coordinated by the Chicago Gig Alliance, which supports area workers in food delivery, rideshare and other industries; Gig Workers Rising, a California-based organization advocating for app-based workers; and several other groups. Organizers estimate that 100 drivers demonstrated between Chicago, Denver and San Jose.
For Moses, deactivation has been confounding — and devastating.
After being locked out of his Uber account, Moses went to the company’s Chicago office to get an explanation. A company representative told him that the deactivation stemmed from a customer who said they “felt uncomfortable with me,” he said. “As you and I know — that could mean anything,” Moses said, gesturing toward his hand to imply anti-Black racial bias. He said he has since made multiple phone calls seeking greater detail, but has not been able to reach anyone.
DATA REVEALS IMPACT OF MINIMUM WAGE LAW
New data reveals the impact of NYC’s new minimum wage law. GeekWire reported:
Delivery drivers working for platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats in New York City saw wages grow by more than $7 per hour following implementation of a new minimum wage law, according to report shared by city officials.
The report said that while pay per hour increased substantially, tips per hour fell 60% year-over-year. The companies changed tipping mechanisms within their apps after the law went into effect.
Other takeaways from the report (see in full below):
The number of total workers fell by 9% year-over-year.
Total consumer spending rose by 10% to $108.3 million.
Fees paid by consumers rose to an average of $20.1 million per week, or a 58% year-over-year increase.
DoorDash and Uber have strongly opposed the new regulations. They implemented new consumer fees in what was described by the companies as a way to offset the pay standards.
UBER LETS YOU SEE FARES AND WAIT TIMES
Uber rolls out a new feature. The Verge explains:
Uber rolled out a new update that lets users search average fares and wait times for planned trips in other cities. The company said it wants to give people who are planning trips or vacations more visibility into how much it will cost to book Uber rides when they get there.
The update will give people access to fare and wait time details in approximately 10,000 cities globally, Uber says. The change rolls out starting on Tuesday, July 16th.
Uber said it wanted to “take the guess work” out of travel, especially with millions of people expected to make the trip to Paris for the Olympics. The company is also offering a number of other perks in connection with the Olympics, including a partnership with Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France-KLM Group, and champagne tours and river cruises bookable through the Uber app.
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