AI6YR BenCNN:‘I’m done’: Rideshare drivers on the brink of quitting over higher gas prices
https://lite.cnn.com/2026/04/01/business/uber-lyft-doordash-drivers-gas
*** Uber/Lyft have moved all the risk/expenses to the drivers, who are the ones that suffer, while the corporation retains most of the profits... it's fundamental to their business model, basically forcing the drivers into the "company town" kind of model where they can barely get ahead.
Jane@ai6yr my Uber driver on the way to the mechanic the other day said that Uber hadn’t adjusted fees to account for gas prices at all, but that they are hard-pushing their drivers into getting the Uber gas credit card, which according to him only works at the most expensive gas stations, pushing drivers into debt to the very company they’re contracting for
MJ Lee@janeadams @ai6yr I do volunteer tax preparation. We turned away an uber driver because his expenses exceeded $50k, partially due to Uber’s high fees. We almost turned away another driver, but dropped her expenses enough that her profit was $8. We’re not allowed to file Sch C when biz loses money. Driving 4 Uber is not a real biz, people.
Annelies Kamran, Ph.D.@soccermoviemom @janeadams @ai6yr I try to explain this when I teach microeconomics - Uber "disrupted" the market by inserting their app into it, wiping out the price signals between buyers and sellers. Now there are 2 markets: between Uber and drivers and between Uber and riders, and neither drivers nor riders know what the true market price would be without Uber.
@akamran @janeadams @ai6yr I assume only Uber is making money, and that is only thru stock valuation? The whole thing is a sham for drivers, right? For customers, it’s just better than having friends.
@soccermoviemom @janeadams @ai6yr for years, Uber wasn't making money either - kept afloat by VC$. Drivers definitely lose, especially if they've been data mined so that the company knows exactly how desperate you are. For riders? Better to pay a bit more tax and get a functional public transportation system that isn't reliant on cars. Friends are great, but even mine would balk at driving me to and from work every day 😏