π¨π° New York Uber & Lyft Drivers Looking Forward To AG Settlement Money
Claims process for New York Attorney General (NY AG) settlement with Uber and Lyft has begun. We quickly overview how New York drivers can file a claim and also note July 29th filing deadline
Many New York State rideshare drivers, including NYC TLC-licensed drivers, who work(ed) for Uber and Lyft recently received an email and text message about a settlement with the New York State Attorney General (NY AG). Although the historic $328 million settlement was announced in November and extensively covered by us and other media outlets, some drivers were understandably confused.
You have to remember, Uber and Lyft drivers are constantly being solicited to participate in lawsuits (βbecome part of a class actionβ) against the rideshare giants. Many might never result in any payment, although drivers submit personal details.
To be clear, in this specific instance, as long as the message and/or email was sent from Rust Consulting (see details below and video), it is *not* a scam. We quickly break down some specifics below, to give a background to what the settlement is and how a driver can officially file a claim.
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Quick Background
New York State Attorney General (NY AG) Letitia Jamesβ office alleged that between 2014 and 2017, Uber (& Lyft from 2015 to 2017) deducted sales taxes and Black Car Fund (BCF) fees from driver earnings when they should have been paid by passengers.
During that time period, we believe the total percent incorrectly deducted would have been 8.875% NYS sales tax + 2.5% Black Car Fund fees = 11.375%! In addition, the NY AG states between 2015 and 2017, Lyft similarly deducted an 11.4% administrative charge from driver payments that was equal to the amount of sales tax and BCF fees that should have been paid by riders.
The original complaint was brought to the attention of the NY AG by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA). NYTWA members were quoted in the NY AGβs official press release in November.
βWhen we realized Uber was taking this money from all of us, we brought it to our union, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. Thatβs when we started our fight to win back the millions Uber stole from drivers. Now, with the help of Attorney General Letitia James, weβre finally seeing justice.β
- Ishtiaq Ahmed, NYTWA member and Uber driver
βAttorney General James would like to thank the New York Taxi Workers Alliance for bringing this matter to the office.β
- Official New York State Attorney General Office Statement
Basically, if a driver worked for Uber and/or Lyft in New York State (including NYC) during the following time periods, theyβre likely owed some money.
β« Uber NY (including NYC): Between November 10, 2014 and May 22, 2017
π£ Lyft NY (including NYC): Between October 11, 2015 and July 31, 2017
Below, weβve created a less than two minute video overviewing the initial, required steps to apply for settlement money a driver might be owed (Note: Uber and Lyft have separate settlement processes and claimant IDs). π¨ The deadline to apply for both settlements is Monday, July 29, 2024 π¨. As of now, itβs unclear when the settlement money will be distributed to impacted drivers, but the below claims filing process is required before a driver receives any funds.
How to Claim Your New York Uber & Lyft Settlement?
*OFFICIAL SETTLEMENT LINKS FOR UBER*
Uber NY AG Settlement Page: https://www.ubernyagsettlement.com/
Official Uber NY AG Settlement Phone #: 1-800-625-2332
Official Uber NY AG Settlement Email: info@UberNYAGSettlement.com
*OFFICIAL SETTLEMENT LINKS FOR LYFT*
Official Lyft NY AG Settlement Page: https://www.lyftnyagsettlement.com/
Official Lyft NY AG Settlement Phone #: 1-800-433-5314
Official Lyft NY AG Settlement Email: info@LyftNYAGSettlement.com