The Taxi & Limousine Council of Connecticut is saying Uber is “dumping” 4,000 drivers into a market that can only afford to support 1,100. It’s also claiming drivers are working beyond safe hours.
In a monthly bulletin, CTRideSafe, the communications arm of the Taxi & Limousine Council of Connecticut, reported Uber is adding 4,000 drivers to the Connecticut marketplace, “a market traditionally big enough to safely support 1,100. It quickly leads to safety issues.” said Joe Miller of Curtin Livery in Waterbury.
The council said in its bulletin, Connecticut’s refusal to enforce its for-hire laws forced one upstate fleet operator to “park 40 percent of his fleet.” It said that could force some cab drivers from jobs where they are covered with workers comp insurance and use professionally-managed fleet cars. The council said that leads to hiring out their own car without employee protections, for-hire auto insurance or living disposable income.
New England Livery Association’s Lew Aflalo said at the January council meeting that safety also has to be considered. He said, “where we have the ability to put a fresh driver in the car, the Uber independent has to drive well over federal fatigue rules and still rarely makes enough to cover his vehicle costs.”
