Uber, Lyft Drivers go on strike in major cities.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,030
Likes: 97
From: Southeastern PA
Been meaning to mention this and see what anybody knows. When visiting relatives in Brooklyn, of course, we see tons of NYC T&LC plates everywhere. Driving, parked, I mean everywhere.
Maybe 1-2 mos ago, literally when I posted about the Hyundai Santa Fe turn signals being too low, we have been infested with NYC T&LC plates all over Phila., and even in my own neighborhood, which is 9 miles from downtown Center City. They are cruising for and carrying fares. What's going on? If I had to guess, these vehicles belong to Lyft. Why should they not be paying registration fees to our area? What's the angle?
Maybe 1-2 mos ago, literally when I posted about the Hyundai Santa Fe turn signals being too low, we have been infested with NYC T&LC plates all over Phila., and even in my own neighborhood, which is 9 miles from downtown Center City. They are cruising for and carrying fares. What's going on? If I had to guess, these vehicles belong to Lyft. Why should they not be paying registration fees to our area? What's the angle?
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,030
Likes: 97
From: Southeastern PA
What the driver "gets" is revenue, not profit. If the drivers "got" a lot, they wouldn't be protesting. But, there's nothing stopping them from finding other employment elsewhere--they aren't under any contract.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 8,574
Likes: 390
From: PA
What I suspect is it's not that easy for us to go up there (NYC) and start operating a car service, but we must have some loopholes allowing them to come down here. We need to close up those holes unless they want to argue we're filling a need you guys can't, we're helping you. We need to get smarter about keeping revenue down here...in our own area...it kills me when you see some project in PA, and the tags on all the commercial vehicles are NJ.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,991
Likes: 519
From: Maryland
I'm not saying they get a lot of money but those driving services get a very small piece of the fee. The only way to increase the fee for the driver is to increase the fee for the rider. You cannot squeeze the company any more because they are not making any money at all but what do I know, I only read financial statements for a living. Do you know what cut these driver services get? Go ahead and read the S-1 now that it is public information.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,030
Likes: 97
From: Southeastern PA
I'm not saying they get a lot of money but those driving services get a very small piece of the fee. The only way to increase the fee for the driver is to increase the fee for the rider. You cannot squeeze the company any more because they are not making any money at all but what do I know, I only read financial statements for a living. Do you know what cut these driver services get? Go ahead and read the S-1 now that it is public information.
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Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,465
Likes: 3,989
From: Maryland
Uber and Lyft do not pay enough to be worth it for many drivers. You put miles on the car, burn gas, have more wear and tear, etc. None of that stuff is made up for by the amount they pay. In addition, with the new tax law changes, it might not even be worth it to itemize the miles, expenses, etc. because the standard deduction is so massive now.
Moderator
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 9,597
Likes: 4,787
From: GA
Just to be clear, the change in the standard deduction has nothing to do with whether or not an Uber or Lyft driver itemizes their expenses. Uber and Lyft drivers are paid on a 1099, so they are self employed. Self employed people itemize business deductions (which would include vehicle, fuel, maintenance, etc) on a Schedule C and then their net income after their expenses is calculated as income where their personal deductions would apply
Also, Lyft doesn't provide any sort of year-end summary or tax forms, which makes matters worse.
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,354
Likes: 555
From: fl
My city's main taxi provider launched an app about 6 months after Uber showed up here. But they still struggle, and actually they just (last week) announced a partnership with Uber to be the sole provider of the "UberTaxi" network. I don't think the lack of an app is "mostly" why they were getting crushed. In my opinion, taxis got crushed because they offered a horrible experience (old cars, rude drivers, poor car conditions) at a premium price. To take a taxi from the airport to my house costs me $65. An Uber is $32 to $36. A town car is $80 including gratuity. Why would I ever choose a taxi?
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,354
Likes: 555
From: fl
I would've guessed that would be summarized in the app for the driver - providing an up-to-date view of how much they have made in a given time period (weekly/monthly/yearly).
