Ride share strike: Drivers rally at TPA for higher wages

TAMPA, Fla. - Bay Area rideshare drivers gathered for a rally at Tampa International Airport as part of a nationwide strike Wednesday.

"I thoroughly do enjoy (rideshare driving), but it has taken a lot of wear and tear on my vehicle. It takes $300 a week for me to do gas, and I (drive rideshare) full time," Tavian Weiley said. "It needs to be more money per trip. I mean, the percentage that Uber is taking, I've noticed (it’s) about 50% of the cut."

Justice For App Workers represents thousands of rideshare and delivery drivers in Florida and called for no rideshare rides out of Tampa International Airport on Wednesday.

According to the organization, drivers in nine other cities, including Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Austin participated in Wednesday’s strike.

Rideshare drivers rallied at TPA over wages on Wednesday. 

Eliot Ness started driving for Uber and Lyft in the Bay area four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"My pay has gone down roughly 20% year over year since then," Ness shared.  

READ: Uber driver accused of sexually battering customer in St. Petersburg: Police

Drivers accused the rideshare companies of not prioritizing their safety. They also said Uber and Lyft do not offer as many incentives as they used to, such as bonuses for completing a certain number of rides.

Rideshare drivers called for no rideshare rides out of Tampa International Airport Wednesday. 

"All of the drivers have increased costs from inflation. And yet the income seems to be flat," driver Garrett Waltzer said.

Drivers argue they foot all the expenses, including gas and overall vehicle maintenance, costs that are not getting any cheaper due to inflation.

READ: Man accused of impersonating Uber driver, attacking woman found not guilty

"So maybe that's driving more people to come out and drive, [sic] is because households need to close the gap and make a few hundred extra dollars each week. That brings more drivers onto the road and consequently, less of a need for the incentive payments to get people out driving," Waltzer said.

Lyft car at TPA rideshare rally.

In a statement about Wednesday’s strike, Uber said, "These types of events have rarely had any impact on trips, prices or driver availability, and we expect the same tomorrow. That’s because the vast majority of drivers are satisfied - earnings remain strong, and as of last quarter, drivers in the U.S. were making about $33 per utilized hour. We also continue to act on driver feedback, adding new safety features to the app and improving our account deactivation processes."

We’ve reached out to Lyft and will update this story once we receive a statement from them.