Uber drivers’ Pearson protest attracts hundreds

Rideshare drivers upset over Uber’s new algorithmic payment methods hoped to raise their profile by protesting at Pearson Airport instead of Uber’s head office in downtown Toronto on October 17th.

While the new program is called “up front pay,” drivers believe they are being offered even less money per trip than they were previously receiving, and that Uber is using the system to auction trips to the lowest bidder.

“Look at what the what Pearson represents to Uber. On any given day, we have 500 Uber drivers there,” says George Wedge, president of Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario (RDAO).

“It’s the single largest source of Uber’s daily revenue in the province,” Wedge told Road Warrior News. “One of the top five revenue centers for Uber in North America is Lester B. Pearson International Airport.” He hopes that raising awareness on Uber’s payment schemes will encourage consumers and shareholders to pressure the corporation for fairness.

RDAO stepped up to help Uber drivers at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) organize a permitted protest after an impromptu Thanksgiving Day event which attracted drivers but provoked negative comment on social media. The October 17th RDAO protest permit allowed pickets; a rolling convoy; and use of the UberX parking lot as a rally/media area.