New York City Sets Minimum Wage for Independent Contractors of Ride-Hailing Companies

On December 4, 2018, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (“TLC”) voted to require ride-hailing companies operating in New York City to compensate its drivers who are treated as independent contractors, and not employees, on a per-minute and –mile payment formula, which will result in a $17.22 per hour wage floor.

This new rule is scheduled to take effect on December 31, 2018.

This new minimum wage for independent contractor drivers who operate vehicles on behalf of ride-hailing companies – including Uber, Lyft, Via, and Juno – will surpass the new $15 minimum wage for many New York City-based employees, which will also take effect on December 31, 2018.

This appears to be the first time a government entity has imposed wage rules on privately owned ride-hailing companies.

The main reason for this new requirement is that independent contractor drivers are often required to cover their own expenses that affects their hour wages.

Prior to this rule, ride-hailing app-based drivers were reportedly paid an average of $11.90 per hour (after deducting expenses), which resulted in drivers complaining of severe financial hardship. According to TLC Chair Meera Joshi, this rule would increase driver earnings by an average of $10,000 a year. Joshi also stated that traditional yellow taxicab drivers already earn on average at least $17.22 per hour pursuant to separate regulations.

The wage requirement is expected to have far-reaching repercussions, including:

• Fare hikes by Uber that may result in customers using New York City yellow taxicabs and Boro Taxis, particularly given the rise of apps that allow riders to hail taxis from their phones, similar to Uber, Lyft, Via, and Juno.
• Passage of similar minimum wage protections in other locales with a large population of ride-hailing drivers, such as San Francisco.
• To avoid paying the higher wage prescribed by the rule, Uber, Lyft, Via, and Juno may consider reclassifying their for-hire vehicle drivers as employees, as the new minimum wage rule applies only to drivers who are independent contractors. However, it is anticipated that these companies will conclude that the others costs of employing drivers, such as providing employee benefits, would outweigh the costs of paying drivers the newly instituted minimum wage.