Mohammad Haque
- During record flooding in NYC this month, Lyft took 46% of the total fare from one ride.
- The driver said he risked his life during the storm and is angry Lyft took so much from the fare.
- "We never want someone to drive when they feel unsafe," a Lyft spokesperson told Insider.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Mohammad Haque said he did not know if he would make it home during the deadly New York City floods on September 1.
Haque, a Lyft driver, picked up passengers during the evening as the city received record-breaking rainfall as the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck the Northeast. More than 45 people died from Maryland to Connecticut as a result of the storm.
Haque said the storm was the worst one he's driven through. He said he was "terrified" to drive, but he had taken off the previous two days and needed the money to pay expenses for his week.
"It was bad, really bad," Haque told Insider. "I was thinking I'm not going to come back home."
And after risking his life driving during a state of emergency, Haque was surprised to find out Lyft took more from a passenger's fare than he received.
Lyft took $84.99, or 45.8%, out of a $185.67 trip Haque took at midnight the night of the storm, according to a ride receipt reviewed by Insider.
Haque took home $78.51, or 42%.
-NY Taxi Workers (@NYTWA) September 2, 2021
Lyft does not disclose the average commissions it receives from each ride, often called a "take rate." However, based on ride receipts and financial statements, these usually average between 20% and 40%.
"We never want someone to drive when they feel unsafe," a Lyft spokesperson told Insider. "However whenever a driver decides they do want to earn on Lyft, many in some of our busiest markets are making on average more than $35 an hour."
Fees from a passenger's fare go towards covering insurance costs, background checks, and other operational expenses, the spokesperson said.
But Haque said he and other drivers deserve to take home more money. Haque, a member of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance union, said the organization is calling for drivers to keep 85% of a passenger's fare.
"It's always hard when we work hard, and we risk our life like this. We expect something more," Haque said.
Haque and the NYTWA are also calling for more transparency into how Lyft calculates driver take-home pay.
Though New York City has established a minimum wage for ride-hailing drivers, the amount Lyft takes from a passenger fare varies per ride. Drivers across the country said the shadowy algorithm used by Lyft and Uber keeps them in the dark about how much the company takes out of fares.
"As a driver, I'm gonna say for the driver the driver deserves more, as an essential worker as a hero they deserve something more," Haque said. "They deserve health benefits, they deserve protection if drivers feel unsafe or something happens to the drivers."