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A Lyft driver has filed a class action lawsuit claiming that the ride-hailing company logs drivers off if they perform fewer than 180 rides in a 30 day period.
Plaintiff MD Islam says that, in the early days of Lyft, the company encouraged their drivers to work full-time hours by enticing them with higher pay if they would work 30-50 hours or more per week.
Islam claims that Lyft promised drivers a “Power Drivers Bonus” in which the company would cut its commission by 50 percent for drivers who worked 30-49 hours per week. In addition, the plaintiff claims that this fee would be lifted entirely if drivers worked more than 50 hours per week.
That said, because an increase of drivers were working more hours, the for-hire vehicle market became saturated with drivers. As a result of the saturation, app-based drivers began to work for more than one ride-hailing company, hoping that they would receive dispatches from two or more companies.
Islam says that drivers would now work 50 hours per week, but would perform less trips for each company that they worked for, because the number of rides was split between the two companies.
In the summer of 2018, due to the number of suicides in the vehicle-for-hire industry, the plaintiff claims that the New York City Council passed two laws to improve the lives of drivers.
The first bill, Local Law 147, further limited the amount of licenses that would be issued to drivers. The second law, Local Law 150, gave the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to issue rules that would govern earnings standards for those drivers who worked for companies such as Lyft and Uber.
In June 2019, the plaintiff alleges that Lyft began to limit drivers access to their app, in an attempt to avoid its obligations under the new TLC rules, which ensured that drivers earned a decent minimum wage for all of the hours they performed while working for the company.
“Such actions violate the spirit, if not the letter, of TLC regulations intended to confer basic labor protections upon some of the City’s most vulnerable low-wage workers,” the Lyft class action lawsuit says.
These forced log-outs are a material breach of the contracts that they have with their drivers, Islam says, which specifically provides that drivers would have no restrictions on where and when they access the app.
In addition, the forced log-outs “amount to nothing short of short term layoffs” for workers who have come to depend on their full-time work in order to meet expenses and support their families, the Lyft class action lawsuit maintains.
The plaintiff says that, as a Lyft driver, he supports his wife and two small children, as well as sends money back home. He claims that in 2014 he purchased a new Toyota Camry to use as his Lyft vehicle. Islam states that the car is now paid off, but he still carries an insurance policy for the vehicle which costs $308 per month.
Before Lyft started restricting access to the app, Islam claims that he worked a full-time driving schedule for the company.
For example, he alleges that during the 10 weeks from Oct. 7, 2019 to Dec. 15, 2019, he averaged 93.8 trips per week, 39.51 online hours per week and earned a net pay of $1,349.82 from Lyft each week.
During that time, Islam says that he averaged more than 180 trips over a 30 -day period and thus, Lyft did not forcibly log him off the app and he could work as much as he wanted to.
On December 2019, Islam states that he left New York to visit his mother in Bangladesh, who had become seriously ill. When he returned to New York on Jan. 19, 2020, he discovered he was no longer able to access the Lyft app and work his previous schedule. He alleges that, because he did not perform 180 trips in a span of 30 days, Lyft was limiting his access to the app.
The Lyft class action claims that, during this period, he tried to work as much as he previously had, but could only get roughly half as many online hours as he had before, the result of which he earned significantly less take-home pay.
Islam says that, during the first three complete work weeks after being forcible logged off from Lyft, he has averaged only 45.33 trips per week, 19.78 online hours per week and has taken home a net pay of $612.80 per week.
To this day, Islam says he is still subject to Lyft’s policy of logging him off as he has still not been able to log more than 180 hours in 30 days. In addition, his income has declined more due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he argues.
Are you a Lyft driver with a similar experience? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Zubin Soleimany of New York Taxi Workers Alliance and Jeanne Mirer and Ria Julien of Mirer Mazzocchi & Julien PLLC.
The Lyft Driver Class Action Lawsuit is Islam v. Lyft Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-03004, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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32 thoughts onLyft Class Action Claims Drivers Wrongfully Logged Off App
I made 8995 rides with Lyft. My contract stipulates that Lyft will take 25% of the passenges’ fares. I took several pictures of the passengers apps and compared them to my driver app. Lyft takes from 40% to 66.2%. Every ride is a breach of contract. Please add me to this class action lawsuit.
please add me they Suspended me several times and threatened me because I canceled rides that were safety issues that are violating Lyft policies They say you’re an independent contractor but yet force you to take rides and threaten you if you doubt I was a five star rated driver and because a customer lied so they could avoid paying the three dollars they actually deactivated my account for like five days and would give no proof of why they did that they also have in their deal if a customer Cancel’s less two minutes you’re entitled to no compensation I’ve had several occasions where I’ve drove 8 miles which is over eight minutes and they cancel and I get nothing they will not respond they will not discuss anything in detail I’ve had several several issues just like the other people they say they took out 20% taxes I looked at a customers rate Saturday night it said $51.34 the ride actually was 2 miles longer it was at 4:30 in the morning and there were no other drivers I got paid 2665 then immediately after that I picked up a gentleman who does lyft all the time, He made the comment it was more expensive this morning he said he paid $20.64 after I dropped him off and looked at my account I got paid $10.22 they are taking whatever they feel like when they can get away with it please add me to this list, plus on an unrelated subject they are violating customer privacy and absolute safety of the drivers
Please add me.
Add me for sure. I only drive for lyft. I don’t feel like a contractor because of all the restrictions.
Lyft lodged me off saying I was one ride short of minimum but I did do them they charged me for a car logged me out of the app I thought the app was frozen but they stopped me because of the one ride and left me with a car I had no gas to return to them I stay at the office not knowing what was wrong with app
Add me been driving for 6 years
Where is the lawsuit? They don’t pay consistent wages, I’m harassed almost every week with false complaints and driver account on hold even though I’ve given over 5000 rides driving almost 10 hours a day for crumbs. They don’t appreciate or care about the drivers. They need to pay for the constant harassment I have received. Where do I sign up?
Me too, Islam
I am or was a 4.9 star driver I did my last ride on March 22nd 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I went to log on June the 25th and my account had been deactivated due to safty concerns, so I reached out to Lyft because obviously this would be impossible snice I have not driven in months. They emailed back saying I had many complaints but could not give me any other details. I have all of my emails including my last one for the week of March the 22nd saying I received 5 compliments and if gives you a list of what the riders have said and 5 of them said complimented my driving that was 5 out 5 rides I had given that week. Also if you have any report they reach out to you immediately. There is also a YouTube video by the Ryde share guy that is saying this is happening to a big percentage of the high star drivers snice they logged off for Covid , they try to go back to work sign on after months and they too are getting the same message as I. I am all about jumping on board, so please add me and if you need to reach out to me please do. Thank you
I have also not driven for Lyft since February 2020 and about a month ago received notice that my account was deactivated. I have driven for Lyft since 2017 and my ratings were between 4.94-5.0. The reason given was “we had to flag your account for safety related feedback”. I save all the weekly feedback Lyft sends to it’s drivers. I have no negative feedback regarding safety or any other issue!
Lyft has no respect for people earning a living with their company. I was driving during a winter storm in St Louis on Sunday and got all passengers to their destination safely. I have put miles and time into Lyft and they deactivated me like yesterday’s trash. I was a 5 star driver. I can’t even change where to send my remaining money I have left in my account. Everybody I spoke with changed their answer on why my account was deactivated. They say do to safety reason they can’t tell me about. I can’t even defend myself against this horrible situation during Christmas. My children was depending on me now there will be nothing under the tree. I got no bonus for dangerous conditions if I declined unsafe rides far away. Bonuses stop for long days or many rides. I bought a new car for Lyft. I bought extra charges, and customer gifts. They stopped all my money. I used a phone for directions to someone house and they said I used my phone while driving and Lyft penalized me for that too. Customer harassment too. Men jacking off in front of me.
Please add me
I hope all this lyft c-executives get in jail at part of their lives. wake you up early for 15 bucks bonus. Find way to don’t pay most of time. and always unwanted destination in stack bonus. cheat you over over again. put you in queue half hour in airport then give you 5 dollar trip. etc all bonus claim false positive
waste of time , sleepless night, drunk or rude customers , never pay any damage claim, don’t pay express tolls even customer direct so.
what else I drive for lyft over 21000 miles (on app 11300 miles) and I get paid 7500 dollar after all fee shit. basically I lost money.
add me