Uber to Repay Millions After Stiffing NYC Drivers for Years

Uber has messed up — again. The ride-hailing company admitted to shortchanging New York City drivers to the tune of tens of millions of dollars due to miscalculated payments. It’s the second time Uber has been caught mishandling payroll, with the latest fiasco resembling Richard Pryor’s banking scheme from Superman III.

In its agreement with drivers, Uber is supposed to calculate its own percentage after taxes and other fees. However, it ended up calculating its New York commissions on total cost, including those expenditures. This has resulted in NY-based drivers receiving slightly lower fares ever since the November 2014 agreement. It doesn’t amount to much per fare but, when compounded by several thousand drivers and a handful of years, it adds up to millions. Regardless of how unintentional the error may or may not have been, the affected drivers are incredibly displeased.

In a media release, the Independent Drivers Guild expressed its anger over Uber’s inability to compensate its contractors as agreed — taking aim not just at the industry giant, but its competitors, too.

“Uber’s theft of drivers’ hard-earned wages is the latest in a long history of underhanded tactics in this industry. Year after year, companies like Uber, Lyft, Juno and Gett become more valuable and year after year they find new ways to take advantage of hard-working drivers. This is exactly why we have been calling for industry-wide pay protections to stop the exploitation of New York’s drivers once and for all,” said IDG founder Jim Conigliaro Jr.

“Drivers keep our city moving and we are asking customers and drivers alike to sign on to our petition for basic pay protections in an industry that has run amok.”

I’ve noticed Uber drivers in NYC souring on the company over the last few years, too. Employees who once praised the company for giving them options have soured on the subject as of late, and this is a big reason why.

The guild has called upon regulators to launch an immediate investigation into the fare and payment practices of all ride-hailing applications. It also reached out to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission to create industry-wide rules to protect driver pay.

In January, Uber paid $20 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission after admitting it exaggerated how much drivers could earn through the platform. Philadelphia drivers also received fare-based refunds earlier this year.

Uber has claimed it noticed the payroll error when it began creating more elaborate receipts for drivers. It plans to refund the missing wages. That sum should yield average drivers $900 each, though The Wall Street Journal estimated it would translate into a total expenditure of at least $45 million from Uber.

Drivers working for the company were issued an email today with the amount they are owed. Uber claims the funds should deposited into their accounts within a week’s time. Other drivers who have abandoned the company but may still be owed compensation are asked to reach out to the business to ensure they also receive payment.

“We are committed to paying every driver every penny they are owed — plus interest — as quickly as possible,” Rachel Holt, the company’s regional general manager for North America, said in a statement.

[Image: Jason Tester/ Flickr ( CC BY-ND 2.0)]