As a customer accustomed to being catered to by Uber, you might indeed expect Uber to care.<p>In actuality both Uber and Lyft have been _relentlessly_ driving employee wages (&quot;contractor rates&quot;) down to the lowest possible sustainable level. That&#x27;s their business model of course: colonize a regulated industry and make hay as long as possible using technology to dodge established regulation while externalizing as many costs as possible.<p>Works out great! Except for the employees. My mother drove until last week for both Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area.<p>Over the last 18-20 months her take home earnings were reduced to about _one third_ what they were when she began.<p>So she gave it up.<p>Personally I cannot _wait_ for regulation to catch up with these companies. Of course, they might completely eliminate their driver base via self-driving fleet vehicles before it does...<p>...though I suspect their business model if they&#x27;re still around at that point (or that of whoever &#x27;disrupts&#x27; them) will be leasing self-driving cars from private individuals. Why maintain a fleet when it&#x27;s clear asking subcontractors to do so for you is so profitable?