Uber drivers may get IPO windfall

Ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft plan to offer cash bonuses to some of their most active or longestserving drivers, along with the chance to put them into shares from their long-awaited stock market launches, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ride-hailing firms Uber and Lyft plan to offer cash bonuses to some of their most active or longest-serving drivers, along with the chance to put them into shares from their long-awaited stock market launches, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The newspaper said Uber Technologies was planning such awards for a “significant” portion of its 3-million drivers, with the costs likely to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Under Lyft’s plans, drivers who have completed at least 10,000 rides on the platform will get $1,000 and those who have logged 20,000 rides as much as $10,000, the paper said.

They would then be able to use the money to buy shares in its initial public offering (IPO), which is widely expected to happen this year, it quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

The terms mean only a minority of Lyft drivers would qualify, the report said.

Uber declined to comment and Lyft did not immediately respond to e-mails requesting comment.

A number of media outlets have reported over the past two years that Uber was looking at giving shares to drivers but has faced resistance from regulators because they are classed as contractors, not employees.

Wall Street analysts have estimated Lyft could be valued at between $20bn and $30bn in the IPO, and Uber at about $120bn.

Shares in high-profile companies often surge immediately after debuting, offering those who subscribe for the first round of shares the chance of a bigger payday.