Is There A Glut Of Ride Sharing Drivers?

AP 18266601727497 — FILE- In this Jan. 31, 2018, file photo, a Lyft logo is installed on a Lyft driver's car next to an Uber sticker in Pittsburgh. The “gig” economy might not be the new frontier for America’s workforce after all. From Uber to Lyft to TaskRabbit to YourMechanic, so-called gig work has been widely seen as ideally suited for people who want the flexibility and independence that traditional jobs don’t offer. Yet the evidence is growing that over time, they don’t deliver the financial returns many expect.

Bob Seay is the transportation reporter for GBH News. Feedback? Questions? Story ideas? Reach out to Bob at bob_seay@wgbh.org.

February 06, 2019

Updated February 08, 2019

Uber and Lyft have changed the way we travel, and provided a convenient way for many to make some extra cash or even earn a living. The ride sharing services are also being blamed lately for ever-increasing gridlock in Boston and for decimating the taxi business. Those taxi companies in Boston made about 11.4 million trips in 2013, which is about a third of the traffic Lyft and Uber now command. Taxis completed just 5.9 million trips last year.

WGBH News's Bob Seay wanted to get a driver's-eye view of what it's like to be part of the ride-sharing economy. He rode with some Lyft and Uber drivers, some who've been on the road for years and others new to the service, to find out how ride sharing has changed their lives.