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As demand for trips has plummeted in the wake of the wage hikes, the Drivers Union is trying to limit the number of gig workers on the road.
In recent years, progressive locales like Seattle have experimented with minimum wage laws for rideshare and food delivery drivers. These laws have led to surging prices for rides and delivery, reduced demand for trips and orders, and no evidence of higher take-home pay for drivers.
As demand for trips has plummeted in the wake of the wage hikes, more rideshare drivers are finding themselves working longer hours to achieve the same number of rides as before. Instead of fixing the root of the problem, a union representing Seattle rideshare workers has a new solution: Limit the number of people who can work as Uber drivers.
According to the Drivers Union, which represents Lyft and Uber drivers in Washington State, there is a severe glut of rideshare drivers on the road in the Emerald City. The union bases this on a new report it released (with funding from the state Department of Ecology), which concludes that “a majority of miles driven by Uber drivers are now without a passenger.”
The report’s topline findings include an increase in “deadheading” and “empty miles” in which rideshare drivers are driving without a passenger on board, as well as an increase in the number of drivers that is purportedly “7 times faster than trip growth.” In addition to lower driver pay, the report concludes that “deadhead” miles are also causing more air pollution and congestion in the city.
Continue reading the entire piece here at Reason
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C. Jarrett Dieterle is a legal policy fellow for the Manhattan Institute.
