BOSTON (WHDH) - Riders are being warned to make alternate travel plans for Wednesday as drivers for Uber and Lyft are set to strike.
Felipe Martinez of the Boston Independent Driving Guild will be among those calling on ride-sharing drivers to switch off their app for 24 hours in protest of low pay and a lack of benefits.
“This company was actually built on these drivers around us,” he said. “These are the guys who made them millionaires.”
Similar demonstrations are planned on other major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco.
“You have people from the West Coast to the East Coast organizing a strategic strike and action on one day,” Martinez said. “They have to listen, and their shareholders better listen. It’s not a good investment.”
The walk-off is planned a day before the Uber stock goes public.
And while the company hopes to raise $9 billion with the IPO, driver Leem Khan says his pay has decreased.
“I have five dependents in my family, and I’m driving 60 hours. I can’t even pay my bills,” Khan said.
For its part, Uber touts its benefits like insurance protections and fully funded college degrees.
Lyft says the average drivers make $20 per hour.
Both companies are promising to improve.
Meanwhile, passengers are caught in the middle and worried about the potential disruption the strike could cause.
“We’re here for work,” one rider said, “so if we needed to use Lyft it might be inconvenient.”
Another rider added, “Everyone should be paid well. However, we need to keep it reasonable, and we need to keep it convenient.”
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