Uber funds new lobbying group to deny rights for gig workers
&gt; <i>apps like Uber and Lyft don’t give her the details of a ride, such as its distance, expected time, and pay, until after she’s accepted it – at which point she has little choice but to follow through, even if it loses her money.</i><p>&gt; <i>“I find out that it’s going to take me 45 minutes to go five miles, and I’m going to get about $5 for the ride. My only choice then is to either basically do volunteer work by accepting the ride, or canceling it. And we are disciplined, and threatened with being terminated, if we cancel it.</i><p>&gt;<i>“So don’t call me an independent contractor, because that’s not what we are.”</i><p>As a former Uber&#x2F;Lyft driver I exaggerate when I say I&#x27;ve read a million words Gig jobs, but the above is a good summary of the problem. You&#x27;re not shown in advance what the ride is and then you&#x27;re penalized for cancelling it. One day you can&#x27;t log in anymore but they won&#x27;t say why, but you know from talking to other drivers that you get &quot;fired&quot; after cancelling too many rides.<p>There are other problems, such as not being compensated when gas prices go through the roof, but there is a hidden problem that many drivers don&#x27;t take into account: Every mile on your car decreases it&#x27;s value and if you do the calculations you might find out you&#x27;re taking equity out of your car and putting it in your pocket, so you&#x27;re not making money and you might be selling your car bit by bit for pennies on the dollar.