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For the last month, Uber has been locking New York City drivers out of its apps during low-demand periods, and Lyft has threatened to do so, too. Bloomberg<\/em> reports<\/a> that the ride-hailing companies blame a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) rule for their behavior. At least one drivers\u2019 union says it may consider striking if the lockouts continue.<\/p>\n The mid-shift lockouts stem from a six-year-old NYC pay rule that requires ride-sharing companies to pay drivers for idle time between fares. Capping how long drivers without passengers can be paid means Uber pays less, but it also means drivers are taking home much less money for the same amount of time on the clock. And they can\u2019t predict when they\u2019ll lose access to the app.<\/p>\n Drivers are understandably angry. \u201cI used to work 10 hours and make $300 to $350,\u201d Nikoloz Tsulukidze, a full-time Uber driver, told Bloomberg<\/em>. \u201cNow, I just worked 10 hours and barely made $170. I was so disappointed. I\u2019m paying for my gas and cannot make money.\u201d<\/p>\n Uber and Lyft are deploying the \u201cLook what you made me do!\u201d strategy, pointing fingers at the TLC\u2019s pay rule (and each other) while trying to turn drivers into lobbyists against the regulation. An Uber email to its drivers from last month, viewed by Bloomberg<\/em>, encouraged drivers to \u201clet the TLC know the effect their rules have had\u201d on their wages.<\/p>\n The way the rule affects the companies differently is also a factor in their blame games. Uber\u2019s drivers have been busier this year, meaning its numbers have more weight on the city\u2019s averages, which determine the minimum-pay limits. \u201cThe city\u2019s rule bizarrely holds Uber responsible for Lyft\u2019s failures,\u201d Uber spokesperson Freddi Goldstein told Bloomberg<\/em>. \u201cWith Lyft struggling to keep drivers busy, we don\u2019t have other options.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Lyft (naturally) views the situation in reverse. \u201cUber wants to change the rules so that Lyft is penalized,\u201d the company wrote in a June email to drivers. \u201cThe current NYC pay formula is broken,\u201d Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin told Bloomberg<\/em>. \u201cIt forces rideshare companies to limit when drivers can earn, and therefore how much they can earn.\u201d<\/p>\n A drivers\u2019 union says Uber\u2019s over-hiring is the root cause of the ordeal. Bhairavi Desai, president of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, told Bloomberg<\/em> that the company \u201cmismanaged\u201d hiring by allowing too many drivers to join its ranks \u2014 and the workers are now left to foot the bill. She accused Uber of \u201cgaming the system\u201d by using the TLC\u2019s rule to withhold \u201ctime that should be paid under the law and making it unpaid.\u201d Desai says the union will consider striking if necessary.<\/p>\n Although Lyft hasn\u2019t yet begun locking out drivers, it might. A June email to the company\u2019s drivers warned that it would soon \u201chave to\u201d adopt a similar practice.<\/p>\n The current mess in NYC follows a long trail of ugly fights across the country between ride-sharing companies and city regulations. Uber and Lyft staged similar lockouts in 2019<\/a> in response to a flat minimum wage requirement<\/a> for drivers that continued until the following spring. Earlier this year, the two companies threatened to pull out of Minneapolis<\/a> after the city tried to force a driver pay raise that would push their rates up to the equivalent of minimum wage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n