Dozens of ride-hailing service drivers protested today in San Francisco, hours before the California Public Utilities Commission voted to make Uber the contracting agent to help the drivers transition to electric vehicles.
The Drivers Assistance Program will provide incentives to low and moderate income Uber and Lyft drivers to transition to electric vehicles, including making charging affordable. Its estimated administration costs for the first year are more than $2 million, according toThere has been an ongoing battle among driver advocacy groups, Uber, the California Public Utilities Commission and other parties regarding the specifics of facilitating the shift.
Gig workers and advocates find that problematic. “We have major concerns with this conflict of interest, in which the commission is relinquishing some of its responsibility over to an entity that is supposed to be overseen for this program,” said Cindy Reyes, research associate of SEIU 721, which works in coordination with the California Gig Workers Union. The California Gig Workers Union organized the rally today.