For some Uber and Lyft drivers in California, a new fear has taken hold. One day they worry they’ll get into a car to start a shift, and their app will let them know they’ve been fired.
According to a new report, there’s a reason behind that fear.
Data released this week by the Asian Law Caucus and Rideshare Drivers United, a drivers’ union, said that two-thirds of Uber and Lyft drivers in California had experienced deactivation by the app, and among those surveyed, the deactivation disproportionately affected people of color.
Thirty percent of drivers said they were given no explanation as to why they were let go. Forty two percent said the app cited customer complaints.
“This reality is that now app-based drivers can be fired, not even by a human being, but just by an app,” said Asian Law Caucus attorney Winnie Kao, who worked on the report. “That you can wake up one day and try to turn on the app to go to work, and you’re just blocked. Hearing the stories from the drivers about that was really troubling and really disturbing.”
In a statement to NBC News, an Uber spokesperson refuted that, saying its deactivation process was run by human representatives who conduct a thorough evaluation before making a decision.
“We know that drivers rely on Uber to earn, so the decision to deactivate a driver’s account is one that we do not take lightly,” the spokesperson said. “Unless there is a serious emergency or safety threat, we provide multiple warnings to drivers before permanently deactivating their account. And we provide drivers with the option to appeal eligible deactivations, including by submitting additional photo or video evidence.”
A representative for Lyft said the report was inaccurate.
“We strongly condemn discrimination of any kind and are committed to preventing it on our platform,” the representative said. “This report is flawed to its core with a predetermined conclusion not grounded in facts. Lyft takes safety reports…
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