Uber drivers report 80-plus hour workweeks and a lot of waiting

(MENAFN- The Conversation) Uber' upcoming initial public offering may be one of the bigget in hitory , with the ride-hailing company expected to raie up to US$9 billion.

That' good new for it early invetor and executive, who could reap $1.3 billion from the IPO.

For the potentially hundred of thouand of driver who do it a their larget or main ource of income ? Not o much. That may be why ome of them plan to go on trike in even U.S. citie for 12 hour on May 8.

For the pat two year, I've poken with dozen of full-time Uber and Lyft driver in Seattle to get an on-the-ground undertanding of how the technologie upporting the platform-baed gig economy are affecting worker.

Their torie help illutrate why o many of them find it difficult to earn a living wage a an app-baed driver.

To ee why, it help to undertand how Uber operate – and why invetor value it o highly.

Uber doen't ee itelf a a tranportation company . Rather, it ell itelf a a technology middle peron that efficiently connect rider to 'tranportation provider' with it algorithm. Uber' ad boat that driver can move from 'earning' to 'chilling' with a puh of a button, making it eay to 'get your ide hutle on.' Lyft imilarly promie ' you're free to drive, earn and get paid when you chooe .'

Reearcher have found that many of it driver do in fact enjoy thi flexibility a mot ue Uber or Lyft infrequently a a ide gig – or until they have earned the promotional bonu . But many other – perhap a many a two-third in ome area – rely on it a their larget ource of income.

Thee driver are the one who make it poible for Uber to honor a key elling point to invetor: near-intant driver availability. Uber' aim to provide conumer a ride within five minute of a click wa conidered a key differentiator from taxi even before it launched in 2009.

That availability neceitate a legion of eentially full-time driver who pend many unpaid hour waiting – not 'chilling' – until a fare come their way. Driver are only paid once they pick up a paenger. Every minute they pend waiting for a pickup or even driving to meet a rider they are imply loing money.

To better undertand how driver navigate thi challenge, I interviewed 63 driver for Uber and Lyft a well a union organizer and policymaker in Seattle over the pat two year.

The reearch i for a book I'm working on and part of my ongoing examination of media' role in labor management , a project that look at how manager have ued different type of media – from film that howcaed efficient manual worker back in the early 20th century to today' app and algorithm – to nudge worker to be more productive. At the ame time, they typically init their ue of new technologie will be good for worker a well.
For example, Uber claim that it ' matching technology ' create a 'eamle pickup experience' that connect 'rider and driver more efficiently,' reduce wait time for rider and produce 'more buine' for driver.

But the driver I poke with hared a very different experience. And Uber' own data ugget that driver pend about half of their time on the app without a fared paenger. The one I interviewed aid that waiting time could be even longer.

The three torie below are typical of the other 60. All name are peudonym to protect them from retaliation.

Ayele, a middle-aged married father of two who' been driving for Uber and Lyft for more than ix year and currently work only for the Uber Black luxury ervice, etimate that more than half of the 80-plu hour he' on the app each week i pent waiting for a fare. He ay there are day where he' pent a many a 16 hour on call in order to get jut a few paenger.

While the long wait are neceary to make end meet – he end money to hi father, iter and other relative in Ethiopia – he earn 'way below' the minimum wage of $15.

Ayele, whom I interviewed at a Teamter' hall outide Seattle, i a member of the App-Baed Driver Aociation , a union that' been puhing for regulation that would require living wage for driver.

He told me he joined the union becaue the riing number of driver and falling income made him realize 'there i a neceity to be united.'

Muhin, a five-year veteran of Uber and Lyft, alo work a much a 80 hour a week.

He ay he earn jut $9 to $12 an hour after expene and wait time, which i around the national average found in tudie by the Department of Labor , Economic Policy Intitute and Rideter . Rideter' late 2018 urvey, for example, ugget driver earn a national average of le than $10 an hour after expene, which for a 40-hour workweek would be below the poverty threhold for a family of three.

Muhin put in uch long hour, even at low pay, becaue he view it a hi familial and God-given reponibility to end money to hi poor relative 'home' in Somalia.

'It' a gift from the Lord that I'm working,' the 32-year-old aid.

Salim, a 58-year old Ethiopian driver for Uber Black, jokingly decribed hi profeion a a waiter. 'I wait a lot.'

When aked what he doe while waiting, he hrugged hi houlder, emphaizing that he 'cannot plan … becaue you alway wait for the phone call.'

A a father of two children under 12 and one adult on who depend on hi income, Salim could not afford to mi anwering the app' call becaue doing o put him at rik for a low acceptance rate, which can lead to 'deactivation.'

Salim aid it can alo be emotionally and phyically treful. Studie have hown that the long, unpredictable and underpaid hour can lead to phyical , mental, emotional and marital train.

Salim himelf ay he' witneed three driver collape while waiting in the uncovered airport parking lot during the ummer month. The airport only recently added portable toilet and running – though not potable – water, which alleviate ome of the phyical tre of waiting.

Union that repreent driver are trying to find way to enure their member get paid for all thi time pent being on call.

A new law that took effect in New York City in February require ride-hailing companie to pay their driver at leat $17.22 an hour after expene, a figure that' meant to account for idle time. Union in Lo Angele, Seattle and elewhere are puhing for imilar law – a well a way to appeal the deactivation of a driver' account.

So a early invetor and executive for Uber and Lyft – which raied $2.34 billion in it own IPO in March – collect their windfall, they hould pare a thought for the driver who made it poible.

'We are the engine of the company,' aid 42-year-old Ahmad, a father of two who drive for Uber and Lyft for 100 hour a week. I believe it' time driver get paid a if they are.

• Car
• Economy
• City
• App
• Tranportation
• Uber
• Lyft
• Gig economy
• ride haring

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