NYC votes to set minimum pay for Uber, Lyft drivers

"All workers deserve the protection of a fair, livable wage," drivers' advocate says.

CYRUS FARIVAR - 12/4/2018, 10:55 AM

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New York City imposes temporary cap on Uber, Lyft vehicles


On Tuesday, New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to set a minimum pay rate for Uber, Lyft, and other on-demand ride-hailing drivers. The new rate will be set at $17.22 after expenses, or $26.51 per hour gross.New York is believed to be the first city in the nation to implement such a pay floor. Four months ago, the Big Apple also imposed a cap on the number of such vehicles in the city.

The Independent Drivers Guild, a local affiliate of the Machinists Union, advocated for the change.

"Today we brought desperately needed relief to 80,000 working families. All workers deserve the protection of a fair, livable wage and we are proud to be setting the new bar for contractor workers’ rights in America," Jim Conigliaro, Jr., founder of the Independent Drivers Guild, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Uber has already put out a statement saying that increased driver earnings "will lead to higher than necessary fare increases" and that the new rules do not adequately take into account "incentives or bonuses forcing companies to raise rates even higher."

How much will Uber fares go up?

"We don’t have an exact number yet," Alix Anfang, an Uber spokeswoman, emailed Ars.

Lyft did not immediately respond to Ars’ request for comment.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...-lyft-drivers/