San Antonio Uber drivers strike in protest of lowered rates

Ride-share company cuts rates from $1.79 to 90 cents

SAN ANTONIO – Drivers with the ride-share company Uber showed their displeasure with the company Monday by going on strike in protest of recent rate decreases.

Several drivers showed their frustration by standing around at the airport instead of driving around the airport.

"I am encouraging every Uber driver in this city to protest, shut down their apps, go on strike," Uber driver Nathan White said.

White said when he first started driving for the company, drivers were getting a rate of $1.79 per mile. Since then, the rate has been cut twice, to $1.20 and now 90 cents.

"I am starting to feel like the cab driver I used to be," White said.

White said his income has been cut in half, but his workday has almost doubled.

"Were starving. Normally I would probably bring home, on a good week, between $500 and $600," White said. "Instead of having to work six or seven hours a day to make what I used to make, I am having to work 10 to 12 hours a day."

Not only did Uber cut the rates, but it also raised its take from 20 percent to 25 percent.

"The more the drivers cant afford to drive at these rates, the riders are going to be the ones that are impacted," Uber driver Regina Radulski said.

RELATED: NYC Uber drivers to protest rate cuts

Radulski said there is no way she can afford to live at the current rates, and it may just be time to cut ties with Uber.

"If this doesn't change, then I may have to quit driving for Uber all together," Radulski said.

Uber released the following statement Monday afternoon:

"A discounted trip means more people can get from A to B with ease, which means more trips take place and driver partners gain more business. While the price cut has only been in effect for a week here in San Antonio, demand has already spiked by over 30 percent. 

We're so confident in the earnings gains drivers see that we're making 24/7 incentive guarantees in San Antonio to put drivers at ease. And if they're not busier, prices will go back up again."

 


About the Author:

David Sears, a native San Antonian, has been at KSAT for more than 20 years.