According to the state attorney general’s office, both Uber and Lyft used a similar trap so that the money from the taxes and charges that users already paid in their fare was also deducted from the payments or salaries that corresponded to the drivers.
That is, the two ride-sharing companies were left with practically two payments, taking millions of dollars.
“You have to give it back to them, because that is called theft and that is not legal, in any country in the world. It is not good for a person to take away what the other has earned, it is not fair,” said Ramón Elías Aquino , taxi driver.
Precisely, according to the prosecutor’s investigation, between 2014 and 2017, Uber kept $290 million, while Lyft stole $38 million.
Now they must return a total of 328 million dollars to their workers.
“Imagine no, no, it’s total abuse, No, really, really,” said Vitalia Domínguez de Villacis, an Uber and Lyft user. “I hope that they can return that money to that person who lost it, because we are really parents who go out to work early.”
In addition to distributing this money among the drivers who were affected, the legal agreement indicates that the two companies must guarantee a base price to the drivers, from the moment they start the trip until they reach the destination.
Likewise, for drivers outside of New York City the minimum wage will be $26 per hour.
Uber and Lyft also guarantee that they will pay for sick days, now they will have 56 hours of sick time per year, a benefit that they have not had until now.
“It’s fair, it’s fair that they won the lawsuit because Uber keeps all the money, Uber doesn’t provide a car or gas, it doesn’t provide anything and charges too much. Because I started at Uber and I left because of that,” said the taxi driver. Miguel Garcia.
NY Attorney General Letitia James said the injured drivers worked day and night for years, transporting people in sometimes harsh conditions, and that Uber and Lyft systematically deceived them out of their money.
“It is very difficult, you take insults from passengers, insults from one’s own drivers and I take insults from everyone. This job is very difficult,” added taxi driver Elías Aquino.
And in a statement, Uber has indicated that they thank Attorney General Letitia James for the work done by her office in providing justice to drivers and that they are committed to providing the benefits they need.
