An Update on Uber’s New Minimum Wage
Spoiler alert: it’s not really a minimum wage.
This article is Part 2 in a series of articles about Uber’s new minimum wage for New York City drivers. Part 1 is below:
I previously wrote about the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s new regulation regarding ride-sharing companies in New York City. I noted in my first article that the regulation was announced on December 4, 2018 and was slated to take effect by the end of that month, but never did.
The basic premise of the regulation: all ride-sharing companies in NYC must pay a living wage to their drivers. The TLC came up with a fancy formula that suggested drivers would receive a minimum of $17.22 per hour after expenses (over $26 per hour before expenses).
According to an Uber representative who responded to my press inquiry, this formula was never intended to guarantee a minimum hourly wage, but a minimum guarantee per trip.
In other words, ride-sharing companies are not required to pay drivers hourly, nor to make up for a lack of…
