Buffalo, NY (WBEN) If you've been struggling to get a ride from an Uber, Lyft, or taxi driver, you're far from alone. There's a shortage of drivers around the country, and one local cab company says he needs dozens of drivers.
Bill Yuhnke at Liberty Cab says he needs 50 drivers right now. "Drivers don't want to come to work, and that means the worst service we've ever seen," says Yuhnke. "We have the daytime covered, but after 4pm, when we start looking for transportation going anywhere, and with restaurants and hotels opening up, all of a sudden there's a lot of activity on the street and there's no service." Yuhnke notes while ridesharing does surge pricing, his business won't do that.
Yuhnke says another reason for the challenge of finding afternoon and evening drivers: the current schedule. "Transportation companies were working in limited space, we were doing medical transportation. So, they're used to working those early day shifts," notes Yuhnke. "We're still here, we're a 24 hour company and if you're looking for work, we'd love to hear from you."
Yuhnke says he's approached other transportation drivers. "We have opened up to other companies who may not have the business we do, and we're offering them that they can stay at their jobs, and we can call them when they're doing nothing." He's also offering incentives. "We offer our drivers $20,000 in life insurance, which we've never done before. Also for the first time, we're offering our drivers group life insurance, at no charge," explains Yuhnke.
Uber did not return our requests for interviews. A Lyft spokesperson issued a statement saying, "Earlier this spring, as vaccines rolled out and people started moving again, we began to see the demand for rides outpace the number of available drivers." Lyft says it has since added thousands of drivers in recent weeks, improving the rider experience and lessening wait times.
