Driving Danger in Illinois
Uber and Lyft have created a safety crisis for their drivers across country. For app-based
drivers in Illinois specifically, these risks are especially high. In 2021 and 2022, almost 80
percent of app-based drivers in Chicago reported feeling unsafe at least once a month.
Because of how Uber and Lyft structure their apps, drivers don’t have much choice in which
rides they accept without fear of being punished by getting deactivated, regardless of how
unsafe they feel. The threat of deactivation and lack of meaningful safety protections allows
Uber and Lyft to squeeze more work out of their drivers for less pay, all to maximize the
companies’ bottom line. In the last year alone, Uber and Lyft, who comprise nearly 100
percent of the rideshare market, made a combined $35.9B in revenues.
To understand more about how much more severe the safety crisis for app-based drivers
in Illinois relative to the rest of the country, the Strategic Organizing Center conducted
a national survey of app-based drivers with the support of the Chicago Gig Alliance
and the People’s Lobby and compared survey responses of Illinois-based drivers to
drivers nationally.