Uber rides in Seattle now 25% more expensive than last year
If you decide to take an Uber ride in Seattle, you may notice that you’re being charged more this year than in the past.
The 25% fare increase is due to a new minimum wage law in the Emerald City that increased the minimum wage to $16.69 per hour for large companies beginning on January 1.
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In September, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted 9-0 to pass a Fair Pay Act, meaning ride-share drivers will get paid at least $0.56 per minute when there is a passenger in the vehicle and a per-mile rate to cover expenses.
The $0.56 number was derived from a study that found that drivers in Seattle are currently making $9.73 an hour after expenses. The new model ensures drivers earn at least Seattle’s minimum wage, $16.39, assuming they spend about 50% of their time waiting for rides or driving to pick up passengers.
“Uber and Lyft drivers in Seattle are at the forefront of a resurgence of the labor movement,” said John Scearcy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117, in a press release. “It is inspiring to stand alongside Black and brown immigrant workers – those who have been excluded from the protections of 20th Century labor laws – rising up to say ‘Enough is enough – if the old laws don’t protect us and lift up the dignity of our work, we will make new ones.’”
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