Request fair treatment for Uber and Lyft drivers in Canada
The Issue
Petition for Fair Treatment, Transparency, and Accountability for Uber and Lyft Drivers in Canada
To Uber, Lyft, Government Officials, Labour Authorities, and the Canadian Public:
We, the drivers who power Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing platforms across Canada, are calling for immediate action to address the growing unfairness, lack of transparency, and declining working conditions within the ride-sharing industry.
Every day, thousands of drivers take to the road to provide safe, reliable transportation services to Canadians. We are the backbone of these platforms, yet many of us feel increasingly undervalued, unheard, and exploited.
While ride-sharing companies promote flexibility and opportunity, the reality for many drivers is far different. Drivers shoulder virtually all operational costs required to provide these services, including:
Vehicle purchases, financing, and depreciation
Insurance premiums
Fuel expenses
Maintenance and repairs
Licensing and registration fees
Cleaning and vehicle upkeep
The physical and mental strain associated with long hours on the road
Despite absorbing these costs, drivers are seeing their earnings steadily decline while company commissions and fees continue to increase.
Lack of Transparency
One of the most serious concerns is the lack of transparency surrounding fare calculations and revenue sharing.
Drivers frequently encounter situations where passengers report paying $30, $40, or even $50 for a trip, while the driver receives only a fraction of that amount. For example:
A passenger pays $42, while the driver receives only $16–$17.
A passenger pays $32, while the driver receives only $15–$16.
Drivers are often forced to ask passengers directly how much they paid simply to understand what happened to the remainder of the fare.
We recognize that ride-sharing companies deserve reasonable compensation for operating their platforms. However, when drivers assume all operating costs and risks, excessive and unexplained deductions are neither fair nor sustainable.
Drivers have a right to know:
The total amount paid by the passenger
The exact amount retained by the company
The exact amount paid to the driver
A complete breakdown of all fees, commissions, and deductions
Transparency should be a basic standard, not a privilege.
Unpaid Pickups and Long-Distance Assignments
A major and growing concern is the increasing number of long-distance pickups with no compensation.
Drivers are frequently assigned trips where they must travel long distances—sometimes 15 to 20 kilometres or more—just to reach the passenger, yet receive no payment for this time, fuel, or vehicle usage.
For example:
A driver may be sent 19 km to pick up a rider, followed by a 3 km trip, and receive only $6–$7 total.
This means drivers are:
Spending significant time driving unpaid
Burning fuel and increasing vehicle wear
Losing opportunities to accept closer, more profitable rides
The current system only compensates drivers from the moment the passenger is picked up, completely ignoring the real cost and effort required to reach the passenger.
This practice is unfair, unsustainable, and places the full burden of inefficiency on drivers.
Unfair Compensation
Many drivers are being paid as little as $15 to $19 for trips covering 40 to 50 kilometres.
Long-distance trips increase:
Fuel consumption
Vehicle depreciation
Maintenance requirements
Tire wear
Insurance exposure
Time spent away from family
Yet driver compensation often fails to reflect these real-world costs.
At the same time, short trips can take 20 to 25 minutes in heavy traffic for just $5 to $8.
Drivers are effectively penalized in both situations:
Long trips are undervalued based on distance
Short trips are undervalued based on time
A fair system must compensate drivers for both time and distance, not one at the expense of the other.
Airport Rides and Excessive Fare Deductions
Airport trips have become one of the clearest examples of imbalance in the system.
Many airport rides require drivers to travel 30 to 40 kilometres and spend 20 to 30 minutes completing the trip. Despite this, drivers are often paid only $16 to $22, while passengers may be charged $35 to $50.
For example:
A passenger pays $42, while the driver receives only $16.75 for a 30 km trip.
Drivers also face unpaid waiting time at airport holding lots, often waiting 30 minutes to over an hour before receiving a ride request.
During this time, drivers:
Earn nothing
Continue incurring expenses
Lose opportunities elsewhere
After waiting, drivers are still often assigned trips that do not fairly compensate for time or distance.
Lack of Support and Due Process
Drivers also face:
Sudden and unexplained account deactivations
Inadequate investigation of customer complaints
Limited access to meaningful support
Automated decision-making without human review
For many drivers, deactivation means immediate loss of income with little opportunity to defend themselves.
No worker should lose their livelihood without transparency, accountability, and due process.
Our Demands
We call upon Uber, Lyft, and all ride-sharing companies operating in Canada to implement the following reforms:
Full Fare Transparency
Clear disclosure of passenger payments, company commissions, fees, and driver earnings for every trip
Fair Compensation
Payment that reflects time, distance, fuel costs, vehicle expenses, maintenance, depreciation, and pickup distance
Compensation for Pickups
Fair pay for the distance and time spent traveling to pick up passengers
Independent Audit of Fare Calculations
Third-party review to ensure fairness and accuracy
Reasonable Commission Limits
Protection against excessive deductions
Fair Dispute Resolution
Transparent processes for complaints, ratings, and deactivations
Government Oversight and Investigation
Immediate action from federal and provincial authorities to protect gig workers
Respect and Dignity for Drivers
Recognition of drivers as essential contributors to Canada’s transportation system
A Call for Change
More than 100,000 drivers across Canada contribute to the growing gig economy. We help people get to work, school, appointments, and home safely every day.
Without drivers, these platforms would not exist.
Canada is a country built on fairness, accountability, and respect for workers. It is time for ride-sharing companies to uphold those same values.
By signing this petition, you stand with drivers across Canada in demanding transparency, fairness, accountability, and dignity.
Together, we can build a ride-sharing industry that works not only for corporations, but also for the people whose hard work makes it possible.
Sign this petition today and support fair treatment for Uber and Lyft drivers across Canada.
Sincerely,
Concerned Uber, Lyft, and Ride-Share Drivers of Canada
40
The Issue
Petition for Fair Treatment, Transparency, and Accountability for Uber and Lyft Drivers in Canada
To Uber, Lyft, Government Officials, Labour Authorities, and the Canadian Public:
We, the drivers who power Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing platforms across Canada, are calling for immediate action to address the growing unfairness, lack of transparency, and declining working conditions within the ride-sharing industry.
Every day, thousands of drivers take to the road to provide safe, reliable transportation services to Canadians. We are the backbone of these platforms, yet many of us feel increasingly undervalued, unheard, and exploited.
While ride-sharing companies promote flexibility and opportunity, the reality for many drivers is far different. Drivers shoulder virtually all operational costs required to provide these services, including:
Vehicle purchases, financing, and depreciation
Insurance premiums
Fuel expenses
Maintenance and repairs
Licensing and registration fees
Cleaning and vehicle upkeep
The physical and mental strain associated with long hours on the road
Despite absorbing these costs, drivers are seeing their earnings steadily decline while company commissions and fees continue to increase.
Lack of Transparency
One of the most serious concerns is the lack of transparency surrounding fare calculations and revenue sharing.
Drivers frequently encounter situations where passengers report paying $30, $40, or even $50 for a trip, while the driver receives only a fraction of that amount. For example:
A passenger pays $42, while the driver receives only $16–$17.
A passenger pays $32, while the driver receives only $15–$16.
Drivers are often forced to ask passengers directly how much they paid simply to understand what happened to the remainder of the fare.
We recognize that ride-sharing companies deserve reasonable compensation for operating their platforms. However, when drivers assume all operating costs and risks, excessive and unexplained deductions are neither fair nor sustainable.
Drivers have a right to know:
The total amount paid by the passenger
The exact amount retained by the company
The exact amount paid to the driver
A complete breakdown of all fees, commissions, and deductions
Transparency should be a basic standard, not a privilege.
Unpaid Pickups and Long-Distance Assignments
A major and growing concern is the increasing number of long-distance pickups with no compensation.
Drivers are frequently assigned trips where they must travel long distances—sometimes 15 to 20 kilometres or more—just to reach the passenger, yet receive no payment for this time, fuel, or vehicle usage.
For example:
A driver may be sent 19 km to pick up a rider, followed by a 3 km trip, and receive only $6–$7 total.
This means drivers are:
Spending significant time driving unpaid
Burning fuel and increasing vehicle wear
Losing opportunities to accept closer, more profitable rides
The current system only compensates drivers from the moment the passenger is picked up, completely ignoring the real cost and effort required to reach the passenger.
This practice is unfair, unsustainable, and places the full burden of inefficiency on drivers.
Unfair Compensation
Many drivers are being paid as little as $15 to $19 for trips covering 40 to 50 kilometres.
Long-distance trips increase:
Fuel consumption
Vehicle depreciation
Maintenance requirements
Tire wear
Insurance exposure
Time spent away from family
Yet driver compensation often fails to reflect these real-world costs.
At the same time, short trips can take 20 to 25 minutes in heavy traffic for just $5 to $8.
Drivers are effectively penalized in both situations:
Long trips are undervalued based on distance
Short trips are undervalued based on time
A fair system must compensate drivers for both time and distance, not one at the expense of the other.
Airport Rides and Excessive Fare Deductions
Airport trips have become one of the clearest examples of imbalance in the system.
Many airport rides require drivers to travel 30 to 40 kilometres and spend 20 to 30 minutes completing the trip. Despite this, drivers are often paid only $16 to $22, while passengers may be charged $35 to $50.
For example:
A passenger pays $42, while the driver receives only $16.75 for a 30 km trip.
Drivers also face unpaid waiting time at airport holding lots, often waiting 30 minutes to over an hour before receiving a ride request.
During this time, drivers:
Earn nothing
Continue incurring expenses
Lose opportunities elsewhere
After waiting, drivers are still often assigned trips that do not fairly compensate for time or distance.
Lack of Support and Due Process
Drivers also face:
Sudden and unexplained account deactivations
Inadequate investigation of customer complaints
Limited access to meaningful support
Automated decision-making without human review
For many drivers, deactivation means immediate loss of income with little opportunity to defend themselves.
No worker should lose their livelihood without transparency, accountability, and due process.
Our Demands
We call upon Uber, Lyft, and all ride-sharing companies operating in Canada to implement the following reforms:
Full Fare Transparency
Clear disclosure of passenger payments, company commissions, fees, and driver earnings for every trip
Fair Compensation
Payment that reflects time, distance, fuel costs, vehicle expenses, maintenance, depreciation, and pickup distance
Compensation for Pickups
Fair pay for the distance and time spent traveling to pick up passengers
Independent Audit of Fare Calculations
Third-party review to ensure fairness and accuracy
Reasonable Commission Limits
Protection against excessive deductions
Fair Dispute Resolution
Transparent processes for complaints, ratings, and deactivations
Government Oversight and Investigation
Immediate action from federal and provincial authorities to protect gig workers
Respect and Dignity for Drivers
Recognition of drivers as essential contributors to Canada’s transportation system
A Call for Change
More than 100,000 drivers across Canada contribute to the growing gig economy. We help people get to work, school, appointments, and home safely every day.
Without drivers, these platforms would not exist.
Canada is a country built on fairness, accountability, and respect for workers. It is time for ride-sharing companies to uphold those same values.
By signing this petition, you stand with drivers across Canada in demanding transparency, fairness, accountability, and dignity.
Together, we can build a ride-sharing industry that works not only for corporations, but also for the people whose hard work makes it possible.
Sign this petition today and support fair treatment for Uber and Lyft drivers across Canada.
Sincerely,
Concerned Uber, Lyft, and Ride-Share Drivers of Canada
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Petition created on June 19, 2026