In August final yr, Lyft driver Isabella Lewis got down to decide up her first fare of the day. She by no means got here residence.
The passenger the rideshare app matched her with shot her within the head, dragged her physique out of the automotive and drove away.
Lewis is one among over 50 gig employees killed whereas at work in the US since 2017, in what a brand new report by platform employee advocacy organisation Gig Staff Rising calls an “pressing security disaster”.
Of these killed, over 60 per cent had been folks of color, in response to the report, which was compiled utilizing publicly accessible data.
The report additionally accused gig work employers of avoiding any obligation to compensate injured employees or bereaved households by classifying them as impartial contractors.
After Lewis’ killing, Lyft launched an announcement saying it was “heartbroken by this incident, and our hearts are with the driving force’s family members throughout this extremely troublesome time”.
Nevertheless, her sister, Allyssa Lewis, instructed Gig Staff Rising that the household had by no means acquired any direct contact or monetary assist from the corporate. The household began a GoFundMe fundraising web page which raised virtually $9,000 (€8,300) to cowl Isabella’s funeral prices, the report stated.
Lyft didn’t reply to our request for remark, however in a assertion to the GuardianLyft spokesperson Gabriela Condarco-Quesada stated the corporate had tried to contact Isabella Lewis’s household to supply assist after it discovered of her dying. “Sadly, we had been unable to make contact with them,” she stated.
‘1 in 175 million’
In line with Lyft’s self-reported knowledge10 of the platform’s US drivers or passengers had been killed by one other individual whereas utilizing the service between 2017 and 2019.
Rideshare competitor Uber’s most up-to-date US security report reveals that seven of its drivers had been killed within the interval 2017-2018, with an total whole of 19 fatalities amongst drivers, passengers and third events.
Each firms level out that the charges of “deadly bodily assault” are low – round 1 in 175 million for Lyft and 1 in 122 million for Uber.
Lyft is “dedicated to doing all the pieces we will to assist shield drivers from crime,” Condarco-Quesada stated.
The Lyft spokesperson additionally highlighted the corporate’s funding in driver security, together with a partnership with the safety agency ADT. She stated Lyft additionally screens journeys and contacts drivers if it notices uncommon behaviour to attach them with emergency companies.
International outcry
Whereas the Gig Staff Rising report targeted on deaths in the US, violence towards gig employees is a worldwide downside.
In Brazil, 16 drivers had been killed in 2016 after Uber launched its taxi service with a money fee possibility, resulting in protests towards a scarcity of safety choices like passenger ID verification.
Outcry over the variety of deaths and dismissive feedback by Uber’s then regional supervisor – who stated protesting drivers had been being “a bit emotional” – led the corporate so as to add passenger ID verification based mostly on Brazilian social safety numbers.
‘Not their downside’
Alex Marshall, a former courier and president of the Impartial Staff of Nice Britain union (IWGB), which represents gig employees, instructed Euronews Subsequent that the theme of gig work firms leaving their employees to face severe points alone was all too frequent.
“Within the gig economic system, employees face the specter of harassment, abuse, and violence daily however firms do little to nothing to safeguard and assist this majority-BAME (Black, Asian, minority ethnic) workforce,” Marshall stated.
Current instances of violence towards drivers in the UK have prompted requires change there too.
Final December, a Birmingham-based driver for the Estonian transport app Bolt was hospitalised for 5 weeks after being attacked and run over by a automotive whereas working for the platform.
In a video printed by the IWGBGarad Hussein stated he acquired no contact from Bolt whereas he was in hospital. “Solely after I received residence out of hospital did I contact them,” he stated.
“I contacted the accident division at Bolt however they stated that there was nothing they might do for me. They instructed me that I would should deliver it up with my insurance coverage”.
“When a severe incident occurs at work more often than not the employers act prefer it’s not their downside,” Marshall stated, including that 70 per cent of IWGB-affiliated drivers and 60 per cent of couriers stated they’d been assaulted at work.
“These precarious employees, already on extraordinarily low pay, lack even primary sick pay so that they lose their total earnings when recovering from an incident at work whereas their employers sit again and do nothing,” Marshall stated.
A spokesperson for Bolt stated the corporate had “considerably elevated” the dimensions of its security staff, which focuses on “eradicating passengers with constantly poor driver suggestions” from the platform.
“All Bolt drivers must really feel revered and protected while driving on our platform and we’re continuously assessing and bettering the protection safety accessible,” the spokesperson stated.
Gradual to alter
However the February 2021 homicide of Bolt driver Gabriel Bringye confirmed the bounds of what app-based security measures can obtain.
In February final yr, Bringye was murdered by a bunch of passengers in London who had ordered a Bolt taxi with the intention of robbing its driver, in a so-called “entice job”.
The Bolt driver app continued recording the truth that Bringye’s automotive didn’t transfer for 344 minutes after his dying, however didn’t set off an alert, the IWGB stated.
“This was a surprising incident and a mindless tragedy, and we ship our deepest condolences to Gabriel’s family and friends,” Bolt stated, including that further security measures had since been rolled out.
“Our in-app SOS button connects on to the emergency companies and Bolt’s security staff, and previously yr we now have launched new welfare checks on static autos and 24/7 assist each in-app and on the telephone,” the spokesperson stated.
In February, Bringye’s sister Renata Bringye, who additionally works as a driver for gig work platforms, stated the corporate had nonetheless not addressed campaigners’ security issues.
“A yr after my brother was killed I’m nonetheless working behind the wheel and nonetheless ready for Bolt to take a seat down with us and our union, the IWGB, to debate what wants to alter to make drivers like us really feel protected,” she stated.
“Drivers should come collectively to problem this tradition that claims we’re disposable, that we do not matter”.
