Just because you got an Uber doesn’t mean the driver strike was a bust

Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Maybe you broke the digital picket line and ordered an Uber during the May 8 ride-hailing app driver strike. And maybe your car arrived within minutes, without a problem, lag, or extra cost. But just because the car service worked pretty much as usual doesn’t mean the driver strike was a total fail.

So far, there are no official numbers on how many drivers turned off their driver apps or how many passengers rode public transit, taxis, or simply walked to fight for a more livable wage for drivers and other protections on the job. But the strike and planned rallies spread across the globe, and so did the messaging — just before an expected $90 billion IPO from ride-hailing giant Uber. In front of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco, a noon rally shut down the street.

Uber didn’t note any big dips in service, long wait times, or a high number of surge-pricing trips compared to its monthly average. A spokesperson said in an email statement, “Drivers are at the heart of our service, and we can’t succeed without them. We’ll continue working to improve drivers’ experience for and with them, every day.”

Lyft declined to comment, but a source close to the company said the strike had no impact on its service. 

But simply having the discussion about gig workers’ wages and rights to health care, sick pay, and other benefits was a big achievement. Influential politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren said they stood with drivers. Most mainstream news outlets covered the strike in some way. At Mashable, our strike coverage was one of the day’s top stories.

Online discussions like this Twitter thread from the head of Lyft marketing, Joy Howard, who talks about driver pay, among other things, wouldn’t have happened without the coordinated action — along with countless other conversations and debates on how to support drivers. 

As The Rideshare Guy blog owner Harry Campbell noted in a special report on the strike, not everyone knew about the strike or could participate — only about 200 drivers came to a rally in LA where the strike originated. And as Lyft keeps repeating, only about 10 percent of its drivers work for the company more than 20 hours per week; many part-time drivers don’t feel as connected to the issues.

But no matter the actual numbers — 300 drivers rallied in front of New York City Lyft and Uber headquarters — the message was heard loud and clear. As a driver said at the NYC rally with the Independent Drivers Guild, “Together we are raising our voices, and today we are being heard.”