Did John’s last post give you hope you may see an increase to driver fares? Well, this is Part II of John’s series on Uber/Lyft fares, and this one is a bit more pessimistic. If you missed part one, click here. Senior RSG contributor John Ince provides five arguments for why drivers should not expect to see any increases in driver pay. 

When former CEO Travis Kalanick got into an argument with one of his Uber drivers, and a video of that argument went viral, the issue in dispute was fares – and whether or not Uber had dropped them. The driver said that Uber’s price cuts had bankrupted him. TK explained that raising fares would risk losing riders.

So it goes, almost two years later. The same issue and same arguments still underpin all the other issues facing rideshare companies. It’s the central question facing the industry. How Uber answers the question will likely determine whether new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi succeeds or fails.

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In Part I of II, senior contributor John Ince covers the thorny subject of if Uber and Lyft will ever raise rates. It almost seems inevitable: to keep drivers, investors, and regulators happy, Uber and Lyft will have to raise rates, right? John covers the six reasons why he believes Uber and Lyft will have to raise rates eventually, and stay tuned for Part II on Wednesday, when he covers why they may not end up raising rates.

It all seems so simple – with one bold stroke Uber and/or Lyft could solve two of their most vexing problems.  They could radically improve their profitability picture AND curry favor with drivers.  All they need to do is raise fares.