Uber and Lyft claim deactivations are the company’s response to concerns raised by customers, but too often, good responsible drivers who are innocent are unfairly fired.

As an Uber driver in Chicago for more than four years, I’ve been proud to provide rides to commuters across our city. Ride-hailing drivers like me became essential workers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, helping doctors and nurses and ensuring senior citizens and others were able to safely access medicine and food. 

With Chicago returning to normalcy— as workers commute to the office again and support local restaurants, bars, and other businesses — ride-hail services are critical to keeping our city moving and growing.

But Uber and Lyft are threatening Chicago’s economy and our jobs with deactivations that decrease transit options and rip away jobs supporting our families. As a ride-hail driver who has been deactivated, I know how devastating this is. Billion-dollar tech giants should not silence drivers with an algorithm, enacting bans without transparency.

Chicago can fix this injustice with a new ride-hail drivers ordinance from Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th). This legislation would protect 30,000 drivers by guaranteeing the right to appeal these bans and put power back in the hands of workers.

Uber and Lyft claim deactivations are the company’s response to concerns raised by customers, but too often, good responsible drivers who are innocent are unfairly fired. That’s what happened to me.

Read the full story at the Chicago Sun Times.