• https://www.curbed.com/2019/5/7/18535700/uber-lyft-driver-strike-protest-ipo
  • “Drivers in at least 10 U.S. cities took part in the strike, promoted with hashtags like #StrikeUberLyft and #AppsOffMay8, including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, in solidarity with strikers around the world in Melbourne and Sydney, Montreal, London and other UK cities. Most drivers planned to log off between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. local times, during the morning commute. Reports suggest the number of protesters didn’t significantly disrupt traffic or service on either app.”

• Reddit conversation about FAIR rental program - https://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/comments/9bfwek/fair_rental/
  • Article from 2018

• https://ride.guru/content/newsroom/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-fair-rental-program-for-uber-drivers
  • “includes insurance, unlimited miles, basic maintenance, a limited warranty, and roadside assistance“
  • Bonuses available:
    • driver completes 70 trips a week, they earn an extra $185 through Uber.
    • Completing 120 trips a week earns an extra $305 a week.

• https://therideshareguy.com/fair-launches-a-new-rental-program-for-uber-drivers/
  • Doesn’t allow driving for other rideshare programs
  • $185 per week
  • Driver responsible for damages, and major maintenance
  • Fair Concerge can arrange a ride to pickup the vehicle

• Uber and Lyft drivers are using the companies' algorithms against them

• Apps like Uber and Lyft sell a dream that can become a nightmare by Pamela Anderson (yeah, the one from BabeWatch)
  • Is getting in cars with strangers a safe thing to do? Before apps lulled us into a false sense of security, you would not have done this. Yet the apps have you doing this with drivers that are not very well vetted.
  • taking advantage of people's dreams and their financial instability.
  • as told to THINK editor Megan Carpentier, edited and condensed for clarity.

• Washington D.C. commuting. - Slugging - http://www.slug-lines.com/Slugging/About_slugging.asp
  • This is a way for drives to qualify for HOV, and riders to get a free ride. Drivers pull up at known slug lines, and displays a sign with the destination or simply lowers the passenger window, to call out the destination, such as “Pentagon,” “L’Enfant Plaza,” or “14th & New York.” The slugs first in line for that particular destination then hop into the car, normally confirming the destination, and off they go. Drivers and riders understand what all these places mean. There is generally no talking except for a thank you.
  • Slugging has been around in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, area for about 40 years!
  • Since about 1975, shortly after the HOV lanes were opened to carpools and vanpools.
  • Origin of the term: Because the people weren’t really waiting for the bus, drivers began to simply call them “slugs.” This definition seems to make sense because these people weren’t real bus riders or even real car poolers in the usual sense of the word. They were, just as the name implies, counterfeit riders or slugs. Hence, the term was born.
    • Over time, the less-attractive term “slug” has had many contenders, such as “instant carpooler,” “hitchhike commuter,” and “casual carpooler,” but tradition has continued to outlive the newer, more politically correct terms.

• Gaming the system - possible new regulations in California
  • The California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 5, which would enshrine a 2018 California Supreme Court ruling that laid out a three-part “ABC” test to determine when a worker can be considered a contractor, factoring in the kind of work being done and the business of the hiring company.
    • California State Assembly Bill 5
• Earning standards for New York City app-based drivers
  • Earnings Standard for New York City’s App-Based Drivers Economic Analysis and Policy Assessment

James A. Parrott* and Michael Reich** July 2018

• Report for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
• We provide the first detailed analysis of the app-based transportation industry in a large metropolis. Concerned about reports of low earnings (after costs) among drivers working for the large app-based for-hire vehicle (FHV) companies, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) wishes to establish a minimum driver pay standard. The policy would set an earnings floor of $17.22, the independent contractor equivalent of a $15 hourly wage, with an allowance for paid time off. We examine the need for and likely effects of the TLC’s proposed policy. Our analysis draws mainly upon administrative data collected from all the companies by the TLC, and we develop a model to simulate the effects of the policy. We find that a majority of the city’s FHV drivers work full-time and that 85 percent make less than the proposed pay standard. Hourly pay is low in large part because the industry depends upon a ready availability of idle drivers to minimize passenger wait times. The proposed policy would increase driver net earnings (after expenses) by 22.5 percent, or an average of $6,345 per year among the 85 percent of drivers who would get increases. At the same time, company commissions in the city generate very large mark-ups over local operating costs The policy could be fully paid for by combining an increase of 2.4 minutes in driver trips with passengers per working hour with reductions in company commissions. Fare increases would then be small (five percent or less) and average wait times for passengers would increase by about 12 to 15 seconds.

• why rideshare companies won’t raise prices - https://therideshareguy.com/why-rideshare-companies-wont-raise-prices/
  • advice on how how to earn average of $2000 a week at Uber - https://www.ridesharingforum.com/t/uber-and-lyft-driver-earning-average-of-2000-week-tips/496
  • six figure driver claiming $2900 a week - https://sixfiguredrivers.com/uber-lyft-income-reports/week-32/
    • how to create Uber and lyft driving schedule - https://sixfiguredrivers.com/how-to-create-your-uber-and-lyft-schedule/
    • 5 tips to maximize earnings - https://sixfiguredrivers.com/5-tips-to-maximize-your-uber-and-lyft-earnings/
    • 25 rideshare tax deductions - https://sixfiguredrivers.com/25-rideshare-tax-deductions-for-uber-and-lyft-drivers-in-2018/
    • https://sixfiguredrivers.com/recent-posts/
    • $100k in 2017 - https://sixfiguredrivers.com/uber-lyft-income-reports/