AB 5 tightens the rules for qualifying as a contractor, requiring that a worker be “free from the control and direction” of the company they’re working for perform work outside the “usual course” of the company’s business and engage in the same type of work when not working for that specific company. “Gig economy” companies like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, and Doordash have always classified their workers as contractors, freeing them from paying Social Security or payroll taxes, or complying with federal laws regarding wages, hours, and working conditions.

“When it became clear to me that Uber was not going to fire us for excessive cancelation or for declining rides, I started doing it whole hog,” he says.Ī spokesperson for Uber said that the changes in the app were prompted by Assembly Bill 5, a new California law that attempts to clarify the difference between an independent contractor and an employee.

Gabe Ets-Hokin, a writer and ride-hail driver around San Francisco, has embraced the same strategy.

Does uber give discounts to his drivers