“Once, I thought a customer had been charged $44, but Uber told me they had been charged $53,” the driver said.
Many Metro Vancouver Uber and Lyft drivers will not be driving on Valentine’s Day as they participate in the international day of protest.
Global Strike Day for Transport and Delivery Gig Companies will be held in cities across Canada, the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 14th. Demonstrators are calling out large companies, including those offering ride-sharing and food delivery services. , to provide better wages and working conditions.
Lower Mainland rideshare and delivery drivers will meet at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) from 10 a.m. to noon. During this time, ride-sharing and food delivery apps will be disabled all at once, making them unavailable to anyone who requests a ride.
Ejaz Butt, executive director of the Toronto-based International App-Based Transit Workers Alliance, says Canadian drivers are pushing for some important changes.
Uber and Lyft drivers want “unionized employee status” rather than contract or “gig” workers. Currently, a driver may work 12 hours, but he may only be on duty for 3 hours and not be paid for the remaining hours.This means their income could be significantly less than the minimum wage, Butt told VIA.
Drivers also say rideshare companies lack transparency about how much customers are paying for their trips.
“We want to share data with complete transparency,” he says.
Grammer Sidhu has been a full-time Uber driver in Metro Vancouver for the past three years. He said drivers don’t see the full price customers have to pay.
“Once, I thought a customer was charged $44, but Uber told me they had been charged $53,” he told VIA, adding that this was not the first time he had been informed of the price discrepancy.
Jant Takhar has also been working as a gig worker for over three years, driving for Uber, Lyft, and food delivery apps. There is “no transparency” in the actual fares paid, he said.
He told VIA, “When you pick someone up in a car, they don’t give you a prepaid fare. You have no idea where the passenger is going or how much they’re going to get paid.” Drivers “receive only about $40 to $40. No,” he pointed out. 50 percent of the amount they saw. ”
When there are fewer rides available due to bad weather, special events, or rush hour, customers will notice a dramatic change in prices. But drivers don’t necessarily think this is reflected in their payments, Takhar argues.
Ambiguous driver deactivation process
November 2023 New York Attorney General Letitia James Uber and Lyft announced has reached two landmark settlements totaling $328 million for “defrauding drivers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.” The investigation found that “company policies garnish drivers’ hard-earned wages” and also prevent drivers from receiving valuable benefits under state labor laws.
Butt says policy still favors corporations and shortchangers.
If a customer complaint is received before the issue is investigated, the driver may have their account “deactivated.” When this happens, you can lose hours or even days of work, even through no fault of your own.
“99.99 percent of the time, they don’t ask the driver,” Bhatt explained, adding that some customers complain and try to get their money back.
Kuljeet Singh, a Vancouver resident who has been working as a gig driver for more than four years, said drivers are not guaranteed to earn B.C.’s minimum hourly wage and can still be denied work if a customer complains. talk. Instead of contacting your supervisor about the issue, the app will automatically deactivate your account.
“It’s not a human being saying you did something wrong… it’s an algorithm or an app. There’s no police complaint. There’s no investigation… there’s no video, there’s no discussion,” he told VIA. ” he said.
After an account is blocked, drivers must appeal to Uber’s support team, which often requires a two- to three-hour call out of the country.
Gig drivers are also concerned about safety. Sidhu said she frequently has to deal with customers who are “really drunk” and acting aggressively.
Uber joins strike action
Gig work includes paid work outside of traditional employment, such as app-based ride-hailing or food delivery jobs. These employees typically have set hours.
The B.C. government has announced that Some issues with gig work In recent years, these include low and unpredictable wages, being fired from jobs without warning, and a lack of workers’ compensation if injured on the job.
Uber spokeswoman Keerthana Rang said drivers choose Uber because it gives them “unparalleled flexibility,” including the freedom to use other apps while on the job and the types of trips they accept. Ta.
Uber Canada also believes that “drivers should earn a guaranteed minimum wage standard” and is working with UFCW Canada, Canada’s largest private sector union, to ensure that drivers receive at least “a minimum wage standard during their working hours.” It advocates a minimum wage standard equal to 120 percent of the wage.That’s part of our proposal to local governments across the country,” she told VIA
“The Ontario government passed legislation mandating a minimum income standard for gig workers during their working hours, which we intend to comply with once it goes into effect.Also, the NDP government in B.C. announced.The same goes for engagement. ”
Uber believes account deactivation can be an important tool to keep riders and drivers safe. Uber and UFCW Canada, January 2022 announced This is a historic national agreement that provides representation for the more than 100,000 drivers and couriers on the platform should they face account deactivation or other account dispute issues.
Asked whether the hiring measures would affect drivers, Lang said, “These types of events rarely have an impact on travel, prices or driver availability,” adding that the company said it would be a significant year for Valentine’s Day. We do not expect it to have a significant impact.
“That’s because the vast majority of drivers are happy. Earnings continue to be strong, and as of last quarter, Vancouver drivers earned $36.03 per hour before tips. I am.”
Facebook group called BC(Van) Uber/Lyft Driver Group It has more than 1,000 members, including hundreds of drivers from across the Lower Mainland, many of whom say they plan to participate in the protests. Some people are only shutting down the service for a few hours, while others plan to shut down the app for 24 hours.
“A lot of drivers are texting each other,” Sidhu said.
Lyft did not respond by VIA’s comment deadline for this story.
