Comments

1

Poor sap from the developing world has been charged with classifying drugged up hussies.

“I’m sorry, you’re a prostitute. I cannot give you a ride”.

“Ma’am, I understand your complaint, but Abdul feels like you are a hooker. There is nothing I can do for you”.

2

Misguided solutions in search of a problem.

5

It's difficult to know how to best combat trafficking, but I can say with great confidence that forcing Uber drivers to be ad hoc law enforcement is about the worst idea I've heard yet.

Why? Because Uber drivers have already proven themselves to be too stupid, by the very fact that they are Uber drivers (sorry Slog-reading Uber drivers). In comments a year-ish ago, I demonstrated that it is not mathematically possible to even make minimum wage as an Uber driver, once you factor in expenses on an average car. Plus they get zero benefits. Most are just too ill-informed, lazy, or stupid to realize they aren't earning minimum wage and that Uber is fucking them over. All of them would make more money flipping burgers at McD's, and at least occasionally earn a sick day or vacation day.

This is not a group of people who should be relied on to evaluate who is or is not a trafficking victim. Try again, 'BEST'.

6

So any white dude in an Uber with some hot young Asian thang with broken English is gonna get reported?

Bitter white womyn’s campaign.

7

Yes, let's put the people who have been raping their customers in charge of ending sex trafficking. What the fuck is wrong with this country? Seriously? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY.

8

@7 Did Amazon Prime not deliver your sedatives in time?

9

@7 How do Uber and Lyft rape their customers exactly?

10

@5 Counterpoint: Most rideshare drivers do, in fact, know how much they’re making, but they choose freedom of schedule instead of flipping burgers.

Not to say that I’m in favor of rideshare companies — they’re exploitative and I won’t use them. But it’s pretty snooty of you to assume the drivers don’t understand what they’re getting into.

11

@5 That's funny, the last Uber driver I had said the money he made from driving (about $1500 a month on top of his regular job) was putting his kid through UW.

But I guess you and a bunch bureaucrats know what's better for the "people".

12

@10. You're half-right. My comment did sound snooty. But you claim that most drivers know how much they make. I find no data to support that claim. See comment @11.

According to Gridwise, Seattle rideshare drivers average $18.17 per hour, BEFORE expenses. According to the IRS, vehicle expense write-off is 58¢ per mile (gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, etc). Plus, as an independent contractor, you pay an extra 7% Social Security over what you would pay if you are an employee. So after expenses, that will end up being significantly below the Seattle minimum wage.

Sure, there may be a few divers who are fully aware they're working for less than minimum wage, and like the "freedom of schedule". But I bet if you survey drivers, you'd find that a strong majority of them don't know what they're making after expenses. (I looked for such survey data, and couldn't find any, so I admit I'm guessing here.)

@11, Your driver would have earned more money in less time to help put his kid through UW by flipping burgers as a second job. Or any other minimum-wage job. The fact that your driver didn't know that only supports my point above. I'm no bureaucrat. I just know enough math to know that rideshare drivers are making less than minimum wage after expenses.

13

@7

Too many lawyers.

14

@12 Flipping burgers is nowhere near as flexible as rideshare work and far more physically demanding work. To say nothing of that fact that 40 year old married fathers aren’t likely going to be hired by Burger King.

I’ll trust my driver to know what’s best for him and his family, not you or the Seattle city council.

15

“average $18.17”

Clearly my driver was better than average because he claimed he made $20 an hour after expenses and before taxes. Rewards go to those with talent I suppose.

16

Never mind sex trafficking school, Uber drivers should go to traffic school. Many drivers have gotten lost while driving to either my pick up spot, or drop off destination.
Yes, Seattle roads can be maddeningly confusing. A review of traffic routes would help.

19

Seems like the driver pay per hour for a service like Uber would have a pretty hard floor, but a very soft ceiling, since so much of it is based on driver choice and habit. For example. if you are willing to work more during rush times you make more, and if you have a reliable, fuel efficient vehicle, your costs will be less.

You would likely have a fair amount of outliers, since you have people who do this for their main job, and people who do it lightly on the side, as well as a huge variance between driver habits and tips.

Perhaps the median earnings, not the mean, would give you a better picture of the reality in this instance. But I am no mathematician.

20

Ohmygod. We're going to let Lyft and Uber make decisions about who may or may not be a sex-trafficker?
This will end horribly and no one will take responsibility for the decision. Another day in America!

21

@9 literally raping their customers, as in sexual assault, as in case after case after case. read the news much? Here's three links. There are about 17 million more on the internet (conservative estimate based on Google search results).

https://www.atchisontransport.com/blog/reported-list-of-incidents-involving-uber-and-lyft/

https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/30/technology/uber-driver-sexual-assault/index.html

https://www.whosdrivingyou.org/rideshare-incidents


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