Want to catch a cab in New York? Chances are, whatever kind of ride you hail, you're not paying a fair price. That's because there is no fare, whether you catch a standard metered yellow cab or opt for Uber's “dynamic pricing,” that doesn't leave drivers chained to unsustainable, highly volatile wages, aggravated by heavy vehicle expenses and punishing debts.
Now the agency that oversees the city's for-hire vehicle industry, the TLC, has commissioned a studyto explore raising app-based drivers' wages. The analysis, by James Parrott of the New School's Center for New York City Affairs and Michael Reich of University of California–Berkeley, outlines a scheme for boosting the lowest-earning drivers to approximately $15 an hour, aligned with the city's phased-in rising minimum wage—and reactions from workers and the industry have diverged sharply.
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