On Valentine’s Day, a significant number of app-based drivers from platforms like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash staged a strike, advocating for enhanced safety measures, better wages, and improved treatment. This movement, orchestrated by Justice for App Workers—a coalition representing over 130,000 drivers spanning the East Coast and Midwest—highlighted the frustrations of ride-share and delivery workers with the current working conditions enforced by these app companies.
The drivers’ grievances were articulated through a blog post by the coalition, expressing their exhaustion from labouring up to 80 hours a week to make ends meet, facing continual safety concerns, and living under the constant threat of deactivation at a moment’s notice.
The strike action involved drivers refusing to accept ride requests to and from key airports in several cities, including Austin, Chicago, Hartford, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, and Tampa. Despite the apparent scale of the strike, the coalition did not disclose the exact number of drivers who participated.
In response to the strike, DoorDash conveyed a message of indifference regarding its potential impact on Valentine’s Day operations, stating that they continually strive to enhance the platform based on Dasher’s feedback. The company proudly referred to the substantial earnings of over $35 billion by millions of Dashers, attributing it to the flexible earning opportunities provided by the platform. Additionally, DoorDash mentioned a recent update to their earnings model, allowing delivery workers to earn a guaranteed hourly minimum.
Similarly, Uber downplayed the strike’s effect on its service, asserting that operations and reliability for riders remained unaffected. According to Uber, the driver availability in most markets during the strike was higher than the previous week.
Lyft also responded to the strike by highlighting its recent initiatives aimed at improving driver earnings and transparency, including a guarantee for drivers to retain 70% of weekly rider fares after external fees. The company also mentioned enhancements to the deactivation appeals process as part of its efforts to improve the driver experience.
To provide context on earnings, Lyft released a white paper indicating that the median U.S. Lyft driver using a personal vehicle earned $30.68 per hour of engaged time and $23.46 per hour after expenses in the latter half of 2023. Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi also shared that Uber drivers made an average of $33 per utilized hour, further contributing to the discussion on app-based driver earnings and conditions amidst the strike.
