ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With so many businesses closed and nowhere for people to go during this pandemic, Uber and Lyft drivers are finding it hard to make any money.
- CORONAVIRUS LIVE UPDATES: In the Central Florida area | In the Tampa Bay area
- COVID-19 IMPACTS ON: Airports, Transportation Systems | Sports Events and Teams | Attractions | School Districts and Universities | Retailers, Restaurants Adjust Hours
- FREE CHARTER WIFI: Charter Communications to Offer Free Broadband, WiFi Access to Families with Elementary, College Students
- COMPLETE COVERAGE: Spectrum News | CDC | Florida Department of Health
Ridester.com surveyed 170 drivers nationwide and found that they’ve lost nearly 90% of their business. Forty percent of those drivers also report that they’ve lost other jobs, forcing them to drive even more in hopes of picking up riders.
“There's hardly any rides anywhere because of the corona situation,” said local Uber driver Aaran Garrett. “So everyone’s doing the social distancing.”
Uber responded to our queries for this story with the following statement:
“In these difficult times, their well-being is at the top of our minds, and we have a dedicated team working around the clock to support them the very best we can.”
Meanwhile, drivers like Garrett, who is making only a fraction of the $25 an hour he thought he would make driving, are trying to hang on.
“I might lay off for a bit for a couple months to see how well this treatment gets done, coronavirus and stuff like that, but not for long, though,” Garrett said.
More than a million people drive for Uber in the U.S. while 1.4 million drive for Lyft.
Sign up now for one of our newsletters that will show up in your inbox every weekday at 1 p.m. The newsletters highlight the most important stories of the day that you need to know for your area.