Drivers’ survey responses suggest that Uber’s AI-driven pay traps them in a vicious cycle. Nearly three in four drivers (73%) who declined low-fare rides in the past three months report that the app either slowed down their rides or their earnings went down because the app continued to offer them low-fare rides. This raises a question: Is the app seeking drivers desperate enough to accept the lowest price?
- 72% of drivers reported that in the prior three months it was harder to earn the same amount of money on the Uber app than a year ago.
- 78% say that it’s like gambling: an occasional good fare keeps them going.
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One in three Uber drivers surveyed reported that during the last year they were hungry but did not eat because they could not afford food.
Adding insult to injury, one-third of drivers report that in the past three months rides slow down in the app when they are approaching the number of rides they need to achieve a bonus or the next level in Uber's rewards program, Uber Pro.
Drivers’ responses point to a pattern in which drivers who rely more on the app to make a living — disproportionately drivers of color and financially struggling drivers — are more likely to report being subjected to more unfavorable pay conditions on the app, and more hardship arising from those conditions. Our findings suggest algorithmic wage-setting systems can function as a tech-fueled “Inequality Machine” that plays a role in entrenching a new vulnerable class of workers.
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AI setting our work conditions is something we should all be concerned about. Uber is creating a blueprint for a growing number of corporations across industries, from retail to healthcare.
Can you help us put a spotlight on Uber’s inequality machine? Share this Bluesky thread and Instagram post.
This isn’t a scenario any of us should accept. It’s why we’re continuing to organize with Uber and Lyft drivers all around the country, and pushing to win new laws that will protect all working people from unchecked AI. |
