Boston Lyft, Uber drivers join nationwide strike Wednesday

BOSTON — Lyft and Uber drivers in Boston, along with drivers from 10 other major cities, will turn off their apps and go on strike Wednesday.

Thousands of travelers could be impacted as drivers participate in a national protest for higher wages and better working conditions.

Both Uber and Lyft drivers say they are frustrated their pay is based solely on when they have someone in the car, not the drive there or the wait, like they must do in the lot at Logan Airport.

Rideshare advocacy groups are planning a nationwide strike on Wednesday for 24 hours straight.

The Boston Independent Driver's Guild is organizing the local rideshare strike.

"These drivers behinds us. This is what is making the people millionaires. It's the drivers and they keep lowering our pay," said Felipe Martinez.

Some drivers who were still picking up passengers Wednesday morning said they weren't aware of the strike until they watched the news. Another said he was considering turning off his app in the afternoon, but he needed to make money.

A Lyft spokesperson told Boston 25 News that, " Lyft drivers’ hourly earnings have increased over the last two years, and they have earned more than $10B on the Lyft platform. Over 75 percent drive less than 10 hours a week to supplement their existing jobs. On average, Lyft drivers earn over $20 per hour. We know that access to flexible, extra income makes a big difference for millions of people, and we’re constantly working to improve how we can best serve our driver community."

Uber told us, "Drivers are at the heart of our service─we can’t succeed without them─and thousands of people come into work at Uber every day focused on how to make their experience better, on and off the road. Whether it’s more consistent earnings, stronger insurance protections or fully-funded four-year degrees for drivers or their families, we’ll continue working to improve the experience for and with drivers."

Rideshare drivers say they also plan to protest outside the Uber storefront on Route 1 in Saugus from noon to 3 p.m.

>> MORE: Massport OKs new airport fees, restrictions on Uber/Lyft

Cox Media Group