Uber, Lyft, DoorDash drivers set to strike on Valentine’s Day

Drivers for Uber, Lyft and food delivery app DoorDash are set to strike today (Valentine’s Day), one of the busiest days of the year, demanding fair pay and safer working conditions.

The work stoppage—organized by the coalition Justice for App Workers—will see around 130,000 drivers boycott airport rides and deliveries from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 10 US cities, including Austin, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and Tampa.

It is the first strike for Uber and Lyft since they went public in 2019.

Drivers criticize corporate greed and decreasing earnings despite increasing rates for passengers. They also blame the app’s algorithmic pricing model for wage decrease.

The strikes come after Lyft announced it would ensure drivers make at least 70% of what riders pay after fees. Uber maintains its drivers earn around $33 per utilized hour.

In other Lyft news
The company shares surged by over 60% in after-hours trading on Tuesday following its earnings release, which mistakenly added an extra zero to a key profitability metric.

It was initially stated that Lyft’s profit margins were expected to expand by 500 basis points, but this figure was later clarified to be 50 basis points.