/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25700404/1458958766.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Lyft fined .1 million for deceptive adverts about how a lot drivers might make")
The Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) introduced Friday that rideshare firm Lyft has agreed to pay $2.1 million as a part of a proposed settlement that requires it to vary the way it advertises driver pay.
The corporate routinely marketed that drivers might make “particular hourly quantities” — in a single occasion, claiming earnings of “as much as $33” per hour for driving in Atlanta — that had been primarily based not on a median, however on what the highest fifth of drivers made, in keeping with the Fee. The corporate additionally apparently included suggestions in these figures.
Such strikes “overinflated the precise earnings achieved by most drivers by as a lot as 30%,” writes the FTC, which says the corporate now should base potential pay claims on what drivers usually make, as an alternative. And people quantities can not think about suggestions as a part of acknowledged hourly pay.
“It’s unlawful to lure employees with deceptive claims about how a lot they are going to earn on the job,” mentioned FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC will maintain utilizing all its instruments to carry companies accountable after they violate the regulation and exploit American employees.”
The FTC included examples of Lyft’s offending adverts in its criticism, akin to these beneath.
Screenshots: United States of America v. Lyft, Inc. proposed order
Screenshots: United States of America v. Lyft, Inc. proposed order
Lyft additionally apparently promoted earnings ensures, akin to one promising $975 for finishing 45 rides in a weekend. However these additionally misled drivers, who thought they’d be getting the quantity as a bonus on high of what they earned, when the provide was really a conditional minimal pay assure for doing a set variety of rides, in keeping with the FTC. The corporate is now required to make that reality clear.
Right here is the proposed order:
In a assertion on its web site, Lyft highlights adjustments it has made just lately to inform drivers how a lot they will earn and says it’s “dedicated to following the FTC’s finest practices” when speaking such particulars.