Pols aim to protect Uber, Lyft drivers from unfair bans

A bill expected to be introduced before the City Council on Thursday would protect Uber and Lyft drivers from being unfairly removed from the rideshare companies’ rosters.

The legislation, to be put forward by City Councilman Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens), would prohibit rideshare companies from banning drivers from the app without just cause or advance warning.

“My district has the largest population of driver residents,” said Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights and Elmhurst. “Their top concern is this issue.”

“Our drivers are some of the most essential workers in our city,” he added.

Krishnan said many of his constituents have taken out large loans to pay for cars that meet rideshare company requirements — loans they still have to pay off if they are banned or — as the drivers call it — deactivated.

If passed, the bill would require the companies to give drivers two weeks’ notice if they are to be deactivated. The exceptions to the rule would be if the drivers are to be deactivated for “egregious misconduct” or “egregious failure to perform duties.”

Drivers now find out they’re deactivated on their way to their cars to start their shift, said New York Taxi Workers Alliance head Bhairavi Desai, who helped Krishnan draft his bill.

“For Uber and Lyft drivers, this is the No. 1 issue that our members bring up,” Desai said. “Anyone could be deactivated — which is just a fancy word for being fired — at any point.”

“Right now Uber and Lyft are judge, jury and executioner — they can deactivate you without any notice and seemingly for any reason,” Desai said. “We need an independent process for drivers, and that’s what this establishes.”

The bill would establish an informal resolution process and guidelines for arbitration to appeal deactivations.

The legislation is also expected to provide a one-year window in which drivers deactivated in the past six years can appeal to regain their employment.

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.

Anger over deactivations led to the 2016 creation of the Independent Drivers Guild — a body formed by an agreement between Uber and the International Association of Machinists that advocates for drivers.

Uber has previously agreed to arbitration over deactivations in a 2016 settlement of a lawsuit involving drivers in California and Massachusetts.

In the settlement, the rideshare giant also agreed to give cause for deactivations.