A Gen Xer with paralysis says he has no choice but to drive for Uber and Lyft to earn a paycheck — here's how he makes it work

• Robert, 56, drives for Uber and Lyft and said he has no other options to supplement his disability benefits.
• He said he's driving twice the number of hours to make the same money he did pre-pandemic.
• He said he's received poor ratings from passengers due to his disability, which has made him nervous.

Robert, 56, has no other option but to keep driving — with a broken arm.

The Portland, Oregon-based Uber and Lyft driver had been in construction his whole life until experiencing a major stroke a decade ago. After multiple brain surgeries, he was left partly paralyzed, putting him out of work for a few years.

In 2017, he tried driving for ride-hailing companies to supplement his SSDI benefits, as his disability prevented him from doing more physically laborious jobs. Driving before the pandemic was rather profitable, he said, as he could pull in enough per hour to live comfortably while also crafting his schedule around doctors' appointments.

But driving became a burden at the start of the pandemic, he said, as his earnings per ride declined and more drivers took up the work. He quit his driving gigs and found work at a supermarket as a cashier, though it was too difficult for him to stand the entire day.

Ultimately, he returned to driving, which he said barely pays the bills. While he's looking around for other opportunities, nothing that fits his needs has stuck.

"I get to thinking there's got to be something I can do besides this, but there's really not," Robert said. "I don't have any options, and almost all jobs require you to stand."

Robert is one of many gig drivers with disabilities who told BI they rely on gig driving to make ends meet and have few other options that accommodate their medical needs. Many Americans with disabilities are looking to gig driving for the flexibility it provides and the limited barriers to entry, though many including Robert said the work is unsustainable long-term.

Driving with a disability

Robert was born with an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of blood vessels in his brain. He said doctors expected him to only live a few months, though he lived 45 years of his life before experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke in 2013.

After his stroke, he had two brain surgeries, after which he became paralyzed on the left side of his body. He was out of work for a few years while his wife continued working as a memory caregiver. Robert previously worked in homebuilding construction.

He relearned to drive with one leg and arm, and he realized he could take up gig driving to help supplement his SSDI benefits. When he started, he said he made between $500 and $600 a week, starting out mostly at Lyft before switching to Uber during the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, he would work Mondays through Wednesdays for a few hours a day, which he said brought him to his daily target. But once the amount he made per ride started to drop, he said he had to work more days and start earlier.

He quit driving during the pandemic to work behind the register at a local grocery store, though after a few weeks, he said it was unsustainable as he had to stand for a few hours at a time. Though he's regained some control of his left side, his hand and ankles are still paralyzed.

He had to step away and look for something that would pay more than his grocery job and wouldn't be too painful. He decided going back to driving was one of his only options, even though he knew it wouldn't be too profitable.

"I'm able to do just as much as everyone else who has got the full ability of their body can do as far as rideshare driving, so it is working out for me," Robert said.

Now, Robert said he works Monday through Saturday to make the same amount he made in three days a few years ago. He's typically on the road by 6 a.m. and drives until 10 a.m., and he's been having to do increasingly more afternoon rides to get to his $ 100-a-day goal.

"I'm having to put in double the hours it seems to make the same amount of money that I made seven years ago," Robert said. "A lot of things are getting more expensive, so it's costing more money for everything, which makes it harder."

Screenshots shared with BI show Robert made $52 and $58 gross in about four hours on two recent mornings. He said over the past few months, he's noticed significantly more drivers on the road, which has made finding profitable rides more difficult. He also said it's challenging to assess which rides to accept when he has just a few seconds to decide and can't see the upfront fare, just the distance.

"A lot of times I have to accept every ride because they allow you 15 seconds to figure out whether that's going to be profitable for you," Robert said, adding he recently got a ride that was 14 minutes away for a four-minute ride. "It's getting to the point now where you really have to judge the rides and whether they're heading in your direction, or if you get a long ride, what are you going to do on the way back?"

Fending for himself

As a driver with a disability, Robert said he's been concerned about his ratings, especially after a few recent one-star ratings from passengers. Research shows that some drivers with mobility impairments received poor ratings for not helping passengers with luggage, for instance, which increases their risk of getting deactivated. Both Uber and Lyft said in statements to BI they actively respond to any allegations that drivers were given a low rating by a passenger for any discriminatory reason.

"It really makes it tough, especially when I only have one arm," Robert said. "I don't want to get deactivated because this is the only thing I can do. It's going to take a miracle in order for my leg to come back and my arm to come back so I can do a regular job, so I have to be careful in my actions."

Despite his paralysis, he said he's made every effort to help passengers with their luggage to avoid low ratings. He said he injured his arm a few months ago helping a passenger with a particularly heavy bag, which also damaged his bumper.

"Now I came to the decision that I can't help anybody put their bags in the back of the car, and I'm sure I'm getting some low rates for that," Robert said, noting he tells passengers his story and hopes they understand. "Uber and Lyft are not really requiring that, but they're saying that's customer service, and if you're not doing customer service with their rides, they're not responsible for the bad ratings."

Robert said he recently joined a union of gig drivers in his area to get more protections, such as more backing in case he gets deactivated or falsely accused of anything. He said his union is also advocating for higher pay, as average Oregon rates are lower than Washington rates, he said.

"I have to deal with the pain of what I've got now, and there's nothing much I can do about it," Robert said. "I'm kind of stuck in what I'm doing, it's out of my control."

Are you a gig driver who is struggling to make ends meet? Are you a gig driver with a disability looking for other types of work? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].