Arlington, VA. - On June 20, 2023,at 2:30 p.m, Uber and Lyft drivers, in collaboration with the Asian American Pacific Islander Civic Engagement (ACE) Collaborative, will hold a press conference to protest the declining wages, the lack of transparency around pay calculations, and the arbitrary deactivations at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Terminal 2, North Terrace. After the press conference, drivers will caravan through Washington, D.C.

Drivers are also joining a nationwide protest where drivers and consumers will turn off their ride-share apps for 24 hours on June 20 and will use the hashtag #shutdownuberlyft on their social media accounts. Uber and Lyft companies are increasingly taking more of the fare drivers earn and are increasing the prices charged to passengers, while local drivers are making less and less in the midst of inflation.

“We need better pay. I have to drive for 12 hours to make what I made driving for six hours in 2012. We need to see the breakdown for how much customers pay and how much drivers get,” said Nazrul, a rideshare driver who wished to use only his first name.

ACE organizer Nupur Chowdhury said, “Community members began reaching out to me saying that Uber has been exploiting drivers. It used to be that drivers earned 80% of the fare and Uber earned 20%, and now it’s reversed. While fares have been decreasing over time, Uber profits are soaring, taking a bigger cut of driver earnings.”

To speak with an NVM organizer or to speak with a resident, contact Debra Freeman at [email protected] or 757-452-1143.

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Asian American Pacific Islander Civic Engagement (ACE) Collaborative is a nonprofit, non-partisan program started by New Virginia Majority, which builds power in working-class communities of color, in immigrant communities, among LGBTQ people, women, youth, and progressives across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization, and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic, and environmentally sustainable. For more information, visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.