Valentine’s Day this year will see many put to inconvenience in the US as drivers of ride-sharing platforms, Lyft and Uber will be on strike. DooDash drivers will also be part of the strie. That is not all, drivers of food-delivery apps such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Stuart.com in the UK will also be joining the strike.
The drivers and the groups representing them are demanding fair pay. Delivery personnel in the UK feel what they are paid for their hard work and for braving rough weather to make deliveries is pittance.
It is reported that the protestors plan to picket outside the offices of the said platforms and also the airport in the US. They will refuse rides from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. across ten cities in the US.
Recently, Lyft had agreed to pay its drivers the difference if they happened to earn less than 70 per cent of what they paid each week post external fees.
The drivers of these ride-sharing platforms have been unhappy about the extremely high commissions that they are expected to pay. It is pertinent to mention here that these drivers are treated as independent contractors. They barely manage to earn enough to fulfil their basic needs, considering that most drivers are working for the apps full time. Only some are part-timers looking to supplement their regular incomes.