Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers

Re:Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers by ggreer on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @02:21PM (#24641843)

I agree with your point: Some are choosing to drive for Uber/Lift because they don't have any better alternative. Where I disagree is the solution.

If you raise the price of cigarettes, people buy fewer cigarettes. If you raise the price of gasoline, people buy less gasoline. If you raise the price of labor, people (both companies and individuals) buy less labor. If the price of Uber/Lyft increases, the number of rides will decrease. That means that drivers will be forced to work fewer hours or to find another job. But if (as you say) this is the only alternative they have to homelessness, then they'll become homeless.

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Re:Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers by Barrin92 on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @05:57PM (#24644491)

another alternative is that Uber reduces compensation for some other parts of the company and budges and raises driver compensation and sucks it up.

It's not like there's reason to believe that the ride-sharing market is extremely competitive, in many regions it's mostly Uber + Lyft.

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Re:Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers by majormunky on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @05:50PM (#24644398)

> If you raise the price of labor, people (both companies and individuals) buy less labor.

If people are making more money, they are spending more money

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Re:Seattle approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers by readams on Wednesday September 30, 2020 @07:35PM (#24645390)

So you imagine that Uber and Lyft drivers will spend their extra money on Uber and Lyft rides so the number of rides won't go down and it will be a perpetual motion machine?

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