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February 8, 2023

$5.49 per hour?! Gig Drivers Speak Out

City Cast Denver

$5.49 per hour?! Gig Drivers Speak Out

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When you pay $80 for an Uber to the airport, how much of that fare goes to the driver? A recent survey of local gig drivers showed that they’re only making an average of $5.49 per hour. That data has brought the debate over gig work back to the state legislature, where some lawmakers are pushing a new “Gig Worker Transparency” bill to require these tech platforms to disclose information about payments to both the drivers and their customers. Today host Bree Davies talks with Uber and Lyft drivers Munir Abuzawida, Michael Machar, and Zaw Tun to get a full picture of what it’s like to work in the gig economy in Denver in 2023. 


For more from Michael Machar on their recent advocacy work, here’s an op-ed he recently published with the Colorado Sun. Michael, Munir, and Zaw have been organizing with other drivers through a new organization called Colorado Independent Drivers United


For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver by texting “Denver” to 66866


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