INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has approved new rules designed to provide a minimum hourly wage of $17.22 (after expenses)
for drivers who work with app-based services like Uber, Lyft, Via and Juno.Fast Company reports that the rules try to deliver that wage by
requiring drivers be paid according to a formula that incorporates mileage, time and utilization rate (the average percentage of time
drivers have passengers in their cars)
They also call for a higher payment when drivers have to take passengers far outside the city (to compensate for them for the return trip).A
proposed bonus payment for drivers offering Uber Pool and other shared-ride options appears to have been removed from the rules.The
Independent Drivers Guild, a labor organization that advocates for drivers, has been advocating for these changes, and it praised the TLC
We are thankful to the Mayor, Commissioner [Meera] Joshi and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, City Council Member Brad Lander and all of
those rates, and regulate the yellow/green meter to charge the same minimum rates, so drivers across the industry can earn a raise.Uber and
Director of Public Affairs Jason Post in a statement
account for the bonuses and other incentive payments that Uber and other companies might make
disincentive drivers from giving rides to and from areas outside Manhattan
These rules would be a step backward for New Yorkers, and we urge the TLC to reconsider them.Specifically Lyft says that companies would be
able to essentially pay drivers less by claiming a higher utilization rate than the industry average
It also says that it will be nearly impossible to implement the higher out-of-town payment rates in the 30-day window before the new rules
