Toronto drivers make median $6.37 an hour: report

Your driver could be making $6.37 an hour, a fraction of Ontario's minimum wage, according to a new report that calls for legislative changes to stop gig workers from falling further into poverty.

A report by advocacy group Ridefair, titled “Legal Poverty,” says Toronto's failure to pay drivers a minimum wage would be a huge boon for ride-hailing companies, which rake in $200 million a year.

“People can't live in that situation,” said Erla Phillips, a driver and vice-president of the Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario, who said the study gathered direct data using screenshots of drivers' inputs.

“How do you pay your bills with that kind of money?” You are,” Phillips said.

The $6.37 an hour figure was the median, meaning half the drivers actually earned less and some lost money while on the job, said report author JJ Fuser with the Ridefair Coalition.

“Right now, Toronto drivers can and do make less,” he said.

Under Ontario labor law, employees are entitled to a minimum wage. However, drivers are classified as contractors and do not have the same protections.

That distinction is an illusion at work, where the app decides everything about which drivers are paired with which passengers, said Gig Workers United spokesman Brice Sofer.

“I made $5.40 a two-hour shift. I can say from my own experience that we are in a crisis,” said Sofer.

According to the report's authors, their estimate is in line with others in California ($6.20 an hour), Seattle ($9.63 an hour) and Denver ($5.49 an hour).

Uber says Toronto drivers earn $33.35 an hour when they are passengers, but not when drivers log in and wait for work.

That's not a reasonable measure, Fuser said, because it doesn't accurately reflect the hours they work.

“That number sounds good. In fact, it sounds like about twice the provincial minimum wage. But it is not so. It leaves out important information,” he said.

Deputies are discussing this issue in the committee. The study's authors are urging the city to consider reinstating the limit on drivers, as fewer drivers could mean each driver gets more rides.

But applying legislation to classify drivers as employees would be a big change — a move already made in British Columbia, they said.

Another move this week is a strike by drivers in several Canadian cities, Phillips said.