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Uber and Lyft drivers are striking on Valentine’s Day to demand fair pay

Valentine’s Day dates may face some travel disruptions as ride-share drivers in Toronto and other major cities across North America are planning a strike to advocate for more pay. (Courtesy: Canadian Press)

Valentine’s Day dates may face some travel disruptions as ride-share drivers in Toronto and other major cities across North America are planning a strike to advocate for more pay.

On X, Ride Fair TO said Uber, Lyft and other ride-share drivers will be protesting poverty pay and company practices in three cities in Canada and 44 cities across the United States tomorrow. 

In addition to Toronto, the strike is expected to take place in Vancouver and Winnipeg.

In Toronto, ride-share drivers will start protesting at Nathan Phillips Square as of 9 a.m. The protesters then plan to make their way to Uber’s head office on Bloor Street.

This comes following the release of a new report on Monday by the RideFair Coalition and the Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario (RDAO) titled “Legislated Poverty.”  It revealed ride-share drivers in Toronto only earn $6.37 per hour, a staggering $10 below Ontario’s current minimum wage of $16.55.

The estimates come from company reports and government data and are also backed by driver experience, according to the report. In addition, the estimates are similar to gig driver hourly pay in other jurisdictions, such as California ($6.20/hour), Seattle ($9.63/hour) and Denver ($5.49/hour).

“Ninety-six snapshots of weekly pay statements submitted by Toronto ride-hail drivers between October 2023 and January 2024 paint a picture in which drivers’ hourly pay is frequently below Ontario’s $16.55 hourly minimum wage even before expenses were considered,” the report reads.

“After estimated expenses are taken into account, none of the 96 weekly pay statements reached Ontario’s $16.55 minimum hourly wage; in many cases, drivers lost money,” it continued.

According to Uber’s public statements about driver earnings, the median income drivers take home in Toronto was $33.35 per engaged hour, as of late 2023. 

The term “engaged hour” refers to when a driver has a passenger but it does not include the amount of time drivers are active on the app and waiting for work.

“In Toronto, it remains unclear whether Uber’s definition of “engaged time” maps onto paid time (passenger in the car – 48 per cent of work time), or active time (being en route to a passenger and having them in the car – 60 per cent of work time),” the report explained.

“Choosing the most conservative definition, active time, means that Uber’s $33.35 gross revenues per engaged hour turns into a median of $20.01 revenues per hour worked, before expenses. Because this is a median, half drivers’ hourly earnings will be lower,” it added.

Ride-share employees are defined as independent contractors which means they do not work regularly for an employer and have the ability to choose their hours and create their own schedule. However, they are not entitled to employee benefits, such as vacation pay or health insurance.

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