Which a big reason why there is such rapid turnover among Uber drivers, almost two-thirds of whom quit within a few months, and over 90% quit within a year.
And when drivers try to organize to get a fairer deal? Both Uber and Lyft have come out strongly against the right of drivers to unionize. They have fought tooth and nail against states that tried to recognize drivers as employees. Drivers who lead organizing efforts have been fired in retaliation. Uber even went so far as to try to sabotage a yellow taxi strike over immigration policy in New York City.
For any serious progressives, Uber and Lyft's anti-labor stance should be an absolute deal-breaker.
Uber and Lyft are Bad for Cities
You do know by now that this isn't really "ridesharing," right? Real ridesharing means people sharing a ride on trips they were already going to make. This helps get cars off the streets, and the more people you can get to share a ride, the better.
Uber and Lyft are quite the opposite. Both platforms have drawn vast numbers of cars onto the street, and have been shown to increase congestion in several US cities. The artificially low fares induce people to take rides they otherwise would not have, further causing congestion. Low fares also draw riders away from more environmentally sustainable travel modes, such as public transportation, and even walking.
Have you noticed that licensed taxis are often hybrids or electrics now? That didn't happen by accident. Taxi numbers and vehicle standards have long been regulated by cities for the purpose of controlling their impact on the environment. In the past decades, many cities have imposed strict controls on taxi-fleet emissions, with the result that licensed taxis have become much greener overall than the rest of the cars on the road.
Well, until Uber and Lyft came along. These companies prefer having no limits to the numbers of vehicles on the road, and they have drastically lowered vehicle standards to get them there. They have fought successfully against any and every attempt at imposing vehicle standards on their fleets. In addition, they have undermined insurance requirements for commercial vehicles, with the result that, thanks to Uber and Lyft, lots of those vehicles driving around for hire out there are carrying way less insurance than they used to. How safe does that make you feel?
Uber and Lyft's battle against regulation is motivated by the bottom line, but it comes with a much bigger cost--the erosion of local controls and democratic oversight of transportation.
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