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Uber Makes Big Moves, But Will Lyft Do The Same?

Since December, Uber has been making big moves on the driver compensation and information front. Its biggest competitor Lyft, however, has been relatively quiet. Can we expect Lyft to make the same changes as Uber has? Senior RSG contributor Jay Cradeur answers this question below.

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New Lyft Driver - Earn 1500:week

Over the past couple of months, Uber has made some remarkable changes to how drivers are paid in California.  First, they gave drivers the ability to see where riders are going before they accept a trip. Driver pay is once again a percentage of the rider’s actual fare.  Penny surge is gone and multiplier surge is back.  The Quest promotion as we have known them, do X number of rides to earn a bonus, has also changed. Consecutive ride bonuses are gone.

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Everything You Should Know About AB5 & Its Impact on Uber

AB5 & Uber

Uber and Lyft are pulling out all the stops against a bill in California called AB5 that could turn rideshare drivers from independent contractors into employees overnight. AB5, as its known, passed the state Assembly a few weeks ago and is now headed for a hearing at its first policy committee in the state Senate. It aims to codify a California Supreme Court decision (known as the Dynamex Case) from 2018 that would instruct businesses to use an ‘ABC test’ to determine whether workers for gig jobs are independent contractors or employees. And as you’ll see below, Uber and Lyft FAIL this test with flying colors.

This bill is no joke since it could set precedent in other states and if drivers were to become employees, it would cost the companies a ton of money. We don’t know exactly what life would look like for rideshare drivers if we were to become employees, but it’s clear that Uber and Lyft see this as an existential threat to their business.

Last week, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi teamed up with Lyft co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green to pen an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle urging for a compromise that would allow drivers to remain independent contractors – I can only imagine how many revisions went back and forth between their respective handlers.

Note: If you’re a reporter needing more information or an interview, contact me: harry[at]therideshareguy.com

Could AB5 Bring the Rideshare industry to its knees?

AB5 & Uber

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6 Best Ways to Contact Lyft Customer Service for Fast Support

Like with any job, there are going to be issues and concerns that come up from time to time.  Knowing where to go and who to contact can save you a lot of hassle though when you do decide to reach out for help. Today, RSG contributor Christian Perea takes a look at all of the best ways to contact Lyft when you need help.

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How to Contact Lyft Customer Service

Contacting a live person at Lyft HQ for driver support can be hard, even if you live outside of San Francisco where Lyft has traditionally centralized its operations. Some drivers outside of SF doubt that people actually work for Lyft. Many suspect the whole operation is run by hamsters. Others say that Lyft HQ is actually run by a cabal of cyborg Facebook profile bots with a knack for stylish hipster marketing material.

Since getting support from Lyft seems to be so hard, people tend to get frustrated and head over to RSG to get advice. We are pretty cool with, although we cannot offer you any hipster marketing material (We can’t find any wire-frame glasses and flannel that suit us in 90 degree heat).

Contact Lyft Customer Service

Contact Lyft Customer Service

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What Uber and Lyft Employees Really Think About Drivers’ Employment Status

We all have a pretty good idea of how drivers feel about being independent contractors vs. rideshare employees – but have you ever thought of how actual Uber and Lyft employees feel about this debate? RSG contributor Chonce Maddox Rhea summarizes interesting new information, directly from Uber/Lyft employees, about how they feel about drivers becoming employees.

The passing of Assembly Bill 5 or AB5 in California surprised many people this year and will go into effect on January 1st. This bill will affect a lot of contractors specifically, but for rideshare drivers, it will mean that they have to be treated as employees by Uber and Lyft. Uber and Lyft may beg to differ with that ruling though.

According to a survey from Blind, an anonymous professional network, an overwhelming number of Uber and Lyft employees feel drivers should stay independent contractors. Blind has 14,000 Uber employees and 4,000 Lyft employees signed up. In order to make sure these employees are truly Uber/Lyft employees, users of Blind must register with a company email address.

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