Many of the city’s Uber and Lyft drivers found themselves “locked out” of their driver app this summer, suddenly and unexpectedly unable to work, according to new data released by the Independent Drivers Guild.
Uber and Mayor Eric Adams announced in July that the company would immediately begin reducing the lockouts and end them completely by early September. However, new data from the Independent Drivers Guild shows the lockouts continued to have a major impact on New York City's for-hire vehicle drivers, with 98% of drivers reporting rideshare app lockouts in August, according to a press release.
The new report from the Independent Drivers Guild is based on a survey of more than 3,000 New York City for-hire vehicle drivers conducted August 26-29, 2024.
While the duration of lockouts varied, 64% of drivers reported being locked out from working for two or more hours and more than one in three drivers (37%) reported being locked out for a day or more. Nearly 10% of respondents reported lockouts of a week or more. More than 9 in 10 drivers reported reduced earnings and increased stress as a result of the lockouts, the press release said.
Other lockout impacts included: 86% struggle to pay bills or rent, 80% have had to work longer hours on the road, 80% reported wasting gas and time due to lockouts, and 72% were unable to pay their rent or bills.
In response, the Guild is launching the IDG NYC lockouts task force to closely track and report on Uber and Lyft driver lockouts, hold the app companies accountable, and advocate for a permanent end to the unfair driver lockouts that are disrupting the livelihood of the city’s 80,000 rideshare drivers. The taskforce launch follows a months-long campaign led by the Guild to end the lockouts, including organizing nearly 1,000 drivers to participate in a protest caravan to Uber’s office and sending nearly 700 emails to city leaders.
“Drivers invest their life savings and take out loans to pay the thousands of dollars per year it costs to become a licensed Uber or Lyft driver in New York City. They jump through hoops that take months to complete. For an app company to be able to suddenly turn off these drivers’ ability to make a living is devastating and patently unfair to the 80,000 plus New York City families who rely on driving rideshare vehicles for a living,” said Brendan Sexton, president of the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG),the nation’s largest rideshare driver advocacy group that represents and advocates for more than 300,000 drivers across the northeast, IL and FL, including 80,000 drivers in New York City. IDG is an affiliate of the Machinists Union which has represented FHV drivers in New York for more than 25 years.
“Uber told Mayor Adams they would end the lockouts by early September, but we are not going to take Uber’s word for it. This new data shows lockouts continue to be a major problem for the city’s for-hire vehicle drivers. Effective immediately, we have launched a NYC Lockout Taskforce to track these lockouts, with a real-time reporting hub at EndLockouts.org. We urge all drivers to save the link and report to us if an app company locks you out. Take a screenshot and let us know right away, every time it happens,” said Sexton.
New York City’s Uber and Lyft drivers pay approximately $5,000 per year to be professionally licensed and insured to work in the city. Those costs jump to over $20,000 per year when you add in the typical cost of leasing a Taxi and Limousine Commission licensed vehicle - and that is all before gas or EV charging, cleaning and maintenance costs. The city’s Uber and Lyft drivers are all required to pass the city’s licensing exam, vehicle inspections, background checks and drug tests.
