- The Gig Life
- Posts
- Drivers are being spontaneously fired by gig apps in California?
Drivers are being spontaneously fired by gig apps in California?
I don’t know about you, but we’re getting real tired of gig workers losing out on work for reasons out of their control.
I don’t know about you, but we’re getting real tired of gig workers losing out on work for reasons out of their control. We’ve heard from many of you that a gig company can sometimes suspend your account without warning or explanation, leaving you scrambling to find ways to make ends meet for the foreseeable future.
Unexplained (and unexpected) deactivations are a prime example of how the gig economy is failing its workers. It’s one of the issues that our friends over at Moves are trying to improve using the power of Stock Rewards. Check out how Moves is banking for change and working to make the gig economy work for its workers.
Now, before jumping into today’s headlines, here’s at least something more uplifting to get you started – We asked you in our last issue who’s the most memorable customer you have serviced while doing gig work. One reader told us they had an interaction with a Hobbit, or rather, the Lord of the Rings actor, Sean Astin. Another of you shared a warm story about picking up newlyweds at the church they were married at and dropping them off in wine country for their honeymoon. Keep them rolling in.
Top Headlines
This week's top headlines from the Gig Economy
6-year-old twins almost purchased $800 in snacks. Instacart sent it to them anyway
I guess some folks still haven’t discovered parental controls on their phones—though it really worked out for the culprits in the end! This woman tweeted about her twin daughters (almost) purchasing close to $800 of snacks using her Instacart app, including over 35 cases of Capri Sun Fruit Punch. Sounds like a party!
This story has since gone viral with over 5 million views and 74,000 likes, catching the eyes of Instacart who kindly made this wishlist a reality and sent their ultimate snack haul for free. We hope that the gig worker who showed up with the stash didn’t leave totally empty handed.
Uber and Lyft drivers in California say they’ve been spontaneously fired by apps, report finds
Imagine getting into your car ready to start a shift, but your gig app says you’ve been fired! That’s the news coming out of California right now.
A recent report released earlier this week said that two-thirds of Uber and Lyft drivers in California had experienced deactivation by the app, and, among those surveyed, the deactivation disproportionately affected people of color. These workers are then left to face a complicated appeals process with little recourse to preserve their livelihood.
Couriers Who Shop: Building for Grocery Delivery on Uber Eats
Looks like Uber is finally starting to catch up to other shopping gig apps by improving the grocery delivery experience for its food couriers. They are currently rolling out a new set of updates based on feedback they’ve received. One of these includes the option to select the best possible substitution for out-of-stock items and increased order transparency to give couriers up-front information about their earnings and orders. Let’s keep pushing for these kinds of changes.
Grocery continues to power growth for DoorDash
Uber isn’t the only one capitalising on the demand for grocery delivery services. DoorDash’s convenience and grocery delivery business is continuing to expand at a quicker rate than its core restaurant-delivery operations. To give some numbers, for all of 2022, DoorDash had revenue of $6.6 billion, a 35% jump over 2021. We hope you’re seeing some of that cash go into your own pockets.
Uber Eats Partners with Tampa International Airport to Bring Mobile Ordering to Consumers
No matter how seasoned a traveller you are, it’s almost always a stressful experience. Luckily for those travellers flying in and out of Tampa International Airport, they can now grab food, drinks, and other last-minute items quickly before boarding a flight. With the Uber Eats partnership, folks can now order ahead and skip the line at more than 20 concession locations within the airport. One less thing to worry about when your hands are full of luggage and your kids are trying to make their way onto the tarmac.
Uber Triples Reservation Window to Sync With Airline Bookings
Speaking of airports, Uber wants to redesign the entire airport experience itself by giving business travellers a new 90-day reservation feature and business-class ride category. The new app features will also guide people from the gate to the pick-up location using instructions and images, along with walking time estimates. This could mean less frustration and time waiting for passengers for all of us. We’re excited to see where this leads.
Video Spotlight
YouTuber: Brash Dasher
(Follow him here)
I TOOK EVERY ORDER $4+ HOW DID IT GO???
A $4 delivery order doesn’t sound too appealing, but what if you took every $4 order that comes your way? Check out to see the breakdown of Charlie’s day of doing just that exercise using DoorDash.
Sponsored by
What Should We Cover?
We love to chat with gig workers. Let us know what kind of news and articles are relevant to you so we can help to deliver the content you need.
Reply