What to know
- Toronto Uber drivers protested outside city hall this week, calling for higher pay and fare increases as earnings decline
- A driver representative says wages have dropped by about 33 per cent, with airport trips paying significantly less than before
- Drivers are demanding a minimum 30 per cent pay increase and more transparency about fares and Uber’s share of each ride
- They are also pushing for pay to include all logged-in time, not just “engaged time” under Ontario law
Toronto Uber drivers are sounding the alarm, urging the rideshare company to raise pay and fares as they say driving is becoming an increasingly unsustainable job under current compensation levels.
On May 4, dozens of Uber drivers marched in front of Toronto City Hall as they presented several demands to the rideshare app, including boosting compensation.
Representing Toronto-based Uber drivers, Ejaz Butt says he has been driving for Uber since it launched in Toronto in 2013. He told Now Toronto that wages have declined significantly in his time with the company, estimating that driver earnings have dropped by about 33 per cent, particularly in recent years as the cost of living has increased.
Butt, who drives for Uber Black, says a ride using this premium service from Toronto Pearson Airport to downtown Toronto once earned drivers about $75, but due to pay cuts, that same trip now brings in around $50.
Butt says the reduction in wages is making it harder for drivers to sustain their livelihoods.
“They are suffering. They are unable to fulfil their vehicle expenses, and more than that, their family expenses,” he says.
As a result, drivers are urging the rideshare app to increase wages by a minimum of 30 per cent, calling current rates “exploitive.”
Wages are just one item on a longer list of demands. Butt says drivers are also calling for more transparency regarding trips and fare data, including how much money Uber receives from each ride.
“They show to drivers only the figure which we are getting from our end, they are not showing what they are getting from the riders,” he said.
Drivers are also pushing back against the provincial government’s Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, which requires companies to pay workers at least minimum wage for engaged, or active, time. However, the Ontario government defines engaged time as the period from when a driver accepts an assignment to when it is completed.
In a statement to Now Toronto, Uber says it is compliant with the act.
“For each pay period, we compare their earnings (excluding tips) to the guaranteed minimum amount they’d earn for their active time. If they earned less than the guaranteed minimum, we top up their pay,” the statement said.
Drivers are calling on the rideshare app to ensure all time is paid once drivers are logged in, including time spent waiting to accept a ride.
Butt says the demands must be met to improve drivers’ quality of life, adding that the app is the primary source of income for many.
“They don’t have other sources [of income],” Butt said.
