With Coronavirus Spreading, LegalRideshare’s “Sick Day” Program Lets Ill Uber Drivers Recover, Reduce Likelihood of Infecting Passengers

Flu season is in full swing, and many local rideshare drivers cannot afford to take time off. That amounts to a health and safety hazard for drivers and riders alike.

Because companies like Uber and Lyft classify workers as independent contractors, rideshare drivers do not get employment benefits, like paid sick leave and health insurance. That means when drivers stay home, they cannot earn money. And when drivers do not get paid, they cannot afford things like healthcare, rent, and utilities.

Bryant Greening, co-founder of LegalRideshare LLC, a personal injury law firm that represents injured rideshare drivers and passengers, said many of his clients face a Catch-22 when they get sick.

“Ill drivers are in a no-win situation. They either stay home and lose wages, or continue to work and possibly infect others,” Greening said. “That drivers face such a dilemma is immoral and unsafe.”

Greening said LegalRideshare is dedicated to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in the car. That includes giving drivers the opportunity to recover, while simultaneously preventing the spread of coronavirus in the community.

As such, LegalRideshare is offering to reimburse drivers for up to 7 consecutive days of lost wages during the month of March if they have diagnosed and quarantined with coronavirus by a medical doctor.

To apply for reimbursement, a driver must submit: (1) a signed physician’s note diagnosing the driver with coronavirus, and quarantining the driver as a result thereof; (2) three months of daily rideshare wages (to calculate average earnings); (3) screenshots/printouts demonstrating that the driver did not work on those sick days; and (4) a copy of the driver’s valid driver’s license, with a current residence address.

“Uber and Lyft continually preach about their ‘commitment to safety,’” Greening said. “The rideshare companies’ policies on sick leave and healthcare, however, are not in sync with their stated goals.”

The reimbursement program is limited to rideshare drivers that reside in Illinois with reimbursement payments capped at $500 per driver and $25,000 total. The reimbursement program runs only from March 1, 2020, until 11:59 PM on March 31, 2020.

All submissions for reimbursement must be sent to help@LegalRideshare.com within thirty days of first recorded medical diagnosis of coronavirus for the year 2020 and which must be dated between March 1 and March 31, 2020. LegalRideshare will be the sole judge of the validity of each submission.