Uber and Lyft drivers in New York achieved a 2.25% wage increase that will take effect next Monday, after being approved yesterday by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
The unanimous vote was greeted with applause by workers and Uber said in a statement that the amount was more “reasonable” than a previous increase they had opposed.
Its about second increase in 2023. The first, which was linked to inflation and reached around 6%, was approved in January after Uber went to court to stop a bigger hike that had been approved by the TLC last year. The new fares will require a minimum payment of $26.76 for drivers for an average trip of 7.5 miles that takes 30 minutes.calculated The New York Times.
The new wage increase is intended to offset higher vehicle maintenance costs and other driver expenses. Adding the two increases this year equals 8.78% over last year’s pay ratessaid a TLC spokesperson.
Uber and Lyft drivers will get more pay this month “thanks in part to the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s decision to amend its minimum pay formula for rideshare drivers and accelerate the increase,” he said. Daily News.
“We are excited to have come up with a rule that has worked for everyone,” TLC Commissioner David Do told a packed courtroom at the commission’s Manhattan headquarters yesterday. “We expect this salary increase to be implemented without further opposition,” he added in a later statement.
Wednesday’s vote was meant to address rising driver expenses, Commissioner Do said. Uber and Lyft drivers, considered by the app companies to be independent contractors, are responsible for vehicle maintenance, fuel payments and other regulatory costs.
“Today, after three successful strikes, we can celebrate knowing that we recovered a raise that belonged to the drivers and we did it. reminding companies that drivers are organized and can beat them,” celebrated in a statement Bhairavi Desai, director of the Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA).
Uber’s popularity has soared since it arrived in New York 12 years ago. The TLC data indicate that there was a daily average of 52,000 rental cars on city streets in December, compared to just 7,000 yellow cabs.
