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To: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

Uber Drivers Demand Our Fair Share

As drivers, we risk our lives, deal with some questionable customers, put wear and tear on our own personal vehicles and pay for our own gas - which is upwards of six dollars a gallon in my area! I have been driving for five years with your company and it has gotten ridiculous as to what you pay us per mile and per minute.

Uber used to take 25% of every ride, now they take anywhere from 50 to 70% and Uber is not doing any of the work! Now I’m not saying it doesn’t take money to run the app and fix glitches, but ever since Uber went public, the company just keeps taking from drivers who are the ones who give Uber its value.

In my area Uber has lost probably 80% of its drivers due to this issue, and those of us who continue to drive have to suffer the consequences of not having enough drivers to satisfy the demand of riders. Those consequences force us to travel extreme distances to pick up, which we do not get paid for, constantly getting canceled on when we are close to pick up because it took too long and the rider does not realize where we are traveling from. Being ping-ponged from town to town, because there are no drivers in that area and wasting gas getting there.

 A lot of this problem can be alleviated, if we did not have the demand on us to accept the last five out of 10 rides in order to keep our upfront details. When using the “Destination” feature in the app, it never works properly, taking you extreme distances out of your way then the direction you are trying to go and times out before arriving to set destination. As independent drivers, we should have the ability to pick and choose the rides we wish to take! There are so many more issues that we as drivers have, and are trying to be heard. The quests and or promotions that are offered have gotten insulting, and as I have recently found out, not all drivers receive quests or promotions.

To rectify this situation, we demand:

• Uber immediately increase our per mile rate, taking a smaller percentage of the money we earn
• Uber end manipulative promotions and quests that force us to accept low-paying rides to see upfront details about rides before we accept them
• Uber fix features, like “Destination”, to actually help us get where we need to go without forcing us to take low-paying rides

My best friend and I have been driving with Uber for over five years, and we know how it was and how it is now, and as a company it just baffles me that Uber wouldn’t respect your drivers and pay them accordingly, because without us, you don’t have a company! We have engaged with our riders to get their perspective and it is unanimous, they are sick and tired of not being able to get an Uber because of a lack of drivers! They are trying to be responsible, by not drinking and driving, which this company was supposed to help with, but now they are paying huge prices, but still having to wait extreme amounts of time for their Uber and are finding out that Uber is taking most of the drivers money, which also prevents the drivers from being tipped, because the riders feel they are paying enough thinking that the drivers are receiving it!

It is not rocket science, drivers should receive higher pay in order to stay on the road! The cost of the wear and tear on our vehicles and of gasoline is astronomical! Not to mention we have to pay our own taxes, which has to be taken out of our weekly pay, so not only are we paying for our own gasoline, maintenance on our vehicles, but we also have to take out money for taxes at the end of the year!

Why is this important?

I know that other drivers will join in, because we speak on various platforms and are all in agreement! Rideshare companies need to pay their drivers more money in order for us to stay on the road! A lot of us drivers can get other jobs, but there are some that have physical disabilities and home situation‘s, which prevent them from doing the same! My best friend has been driving with Uber for almost 6 years and she’s in a wheelchair. This job provides her with an income, because she is able to put her wheelchair in the trunk of her vehicle and drive. She is an awesome human being and it’s loved by all of her riders! She, and all other drivers, deserve a job that pays us fairly.

Updates

2023-01-27 08:28:13 -0500

5,000 signatures reached

2022-08-04 14:10:24 -0400

1,000 signatures reached

2022-08-04 13:30:06 -0400

500 signatures reached

2022-08-03 17:10:11 -0400

100 signatures reached

2022-07-30 14:47:35 -0400

50 signatures reached

2022-07-21 19:19:43 -0400

25 signatures reached

2022-07-18 23:36:44 -0400

10 signatures reached