HARTFORD, Conn. — Whether someone needs a ride to the airport, to work, or home from a night out, most people have used a ride share, but those behind the wheel say they’re struggling.
“It used to be very good, but now, it's not even worth it,” explained rideshare driver Henry Tonkeu.
Drivers are now rallying for better pay and safer working conditions.
“We're not just talking about numbers on a paycheck,” said driver Hamza Karama. “We are talking about the ability to put food on the table, pay bills, and build a better future.”
Tuesday, rideshare drivers testified at the state capitol in favor of a new bill to create worker protections.
“I've been driving for nine years,” Tonkeu said. “My average, by hours, is like $20, but if you take the gas money, the wear and tear of the car, I'm left with like $10.”
Drivers say their pay has gone down in recent years, claiming they are now getting a fraction of what they used to for the same rides.
“We do everything on our own,” continued Elijah Mulbah, a rideshare driver since 2015. “If you can’t do it, you don’t drive for the rideshare companies.”
This legislation would establish minimum pay for drivers and require companies to reimburse drivers for wear and tear to their vehicles, cleaning, or other repairs.
“They do nothing,” Mulbah said. “We bought our gas, we insured our car, we financed our car, we bought our car.”
The bill would create transparency by requiring companies to give drivers a receipt with a breakdown of the cost of the ride, how much the customer paid, what fees were deducted and why.
“The rider doesn't know how much the driver is getting and the driver doesn't know how much the rider has paid,” added Mulbah.
“If they don't tell us how much a passenger is paying, then we can't use that to our advantage to basically fight for our own rights,” said driver Michael Smith.
This would also direct the CT Transportation Commissioner to create an agreement with neighbor states to allow Connecticut drivers to pick up passengers in other states for rides into Connecticut.
“New York, Boston, Rhode Island, they can come to Connecticut, and pick a ride, but when we drop off in New York, Rhode Island or Boston, we cannot pick a ride, and those people pick to ride in Connecticut are not paying taxes to Connecticut,” Mulbah said.
The measure would also establish driver protections against things like deactivation for no cause, a big concern for drivers who say rideshare is their main source of income.
“You get up in the morning, you are deactivated, what do you do? You have been driving for nine years, you lose your job,” Mulbah continued. “They say okay, you're an independent contractor, but they control you like an employee.”
“Without drivers, Uber cannot function. Uber cannot work,” said Tonkeu. “The driver is the most important part of the business.”
There was some opposition to this bill Tuesday, notably from the state Department of Labor… which says enforcing new minimum wages and other changes in the legislation would mean “a significant fiscal impact” and “a burden on the agency.”
The Connecticut Business & Industry Association also spoke out against the measure, saying it would result in “higher prices for passengers,” which would mean “lost trips and lower earnings for drivers.”
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