By Zak Vescera, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE TYEE

You may have met Kuljeet Singh. He might have driven you to your auntB次元官网网址檚 birthday party, picked you and your friends up after a late night at the bar or got you to work on a snowy day.

He would have been behind the wheel, one of thousands of people in Metro Vancouver driving for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and a host of other businesses. While few solid figures exist, the provincial government estimated last year that as many as 11,000 residents worked in ride-hailing, and 27,000 worked for food delivery companies.

You probably wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have recognized Singh last week, when he roared into a microphone in front of roughly 100 people on a drizzly day, demanding better treatment for gig workers like him.

Dozens of drivers sacrificed time, and therefore money, to stand outside Labour Minister Harry BainsB次元官网网址� constituency office in a Surrey strip mall. They took turns speaking in Punjabi. A white car pulled up, the trunk packed with samosas and chai. At one point they began chanting: B次元官网网址淪hame, shame, Harry Bains.B次元官网网址�

This group of often faceless workers has become a mobilized force in British Columbia, and a thorn in the side of companies and politicians alike.

In November, Bains introduced legislation on gig work that he said set a new national precedent. It includes stipulations on minimum pay, transparency, the right to join a union and workersB次元官网网址� compensation coverage if drivers are involved in an accident on the job.

Many details of the new regulations are still being hammered out. The Ministry of Labour said they would be introduced this year but has no exact timeline.

B次元官网网址淢inistry staff continues to engage with all of the groups who will be affected by the changes, including app-based workers, companies, labour organizations and others,B次元官网网址� Bains said in a statement. B次元官网网址淚n fact, meetings with app-based ride-hail and food delivery workers are taking place this week.

B次元官网网址淭hese new standards and protections are coming after the regulations are finalized this spring, with some time allowed for companies to implement these important changes.B次元官网网址�

Some drivers, like Khushwinder Samra, say the regulations announced so far donB次元官网网址檛 go far enough to address low earnings for workers.

Another driver, Vicky Sharma, argues the bill leans in favour of companies instead of workers or consumers.

B次元官网网址淭here is no transparency. You never know how much a customer is paying or how much you are getting,B次元官网网址� Sharma said.

Gig workers are not easy to organize. They have no common work site. The job is transient you can be driving for DoorDash or SkipTheDishes or Lyft one day and leave the next.

Singh and Sharma said drivers began to meet each other at the Vancouver airport, often while waiting for passengers. Talk turned to the downturn in their wages.

Gradually, they built up a WhatsApp group, which today boasts more than 800 members. ItB次元官网网址檚 a small fraction of the number of people who work on such apps in the Metro Vancouver area, but more than enough to organize a protest.

Singh and other drivers are routinely quoted by media writing about new gig economy legislation. When Bains unveiled the bill, Singh and fellow driver Raj Gill were there with him.

At the time, Singh was divided on the legislation. He liked the fact it called for transparency about what customers pay B次元官网网址� a big frustration for ride-hailing drivers who suspect the company takes a bigger slice of their earnings than promised.

But over time Singh and other drivers in this tight-knit group have decided the bill does not go far enough.

B次元官网网址淥n a slow day, sometimes weB次元官网网址檙e making less than minimum wage,B次元官网网址� Samra said.

Samra began driving for Uber in January 2020, using it to supplement money he was making working for Canada Post.

At the time, Uber and other ride-hailing companies had just begun operating in B.C. Samra was making good money and switched to driving for Uber full time.

Then B次元官网网址渆verything fell apart,B次元官网网址� Samra said. As more drivers joined the app, he was getting fewer trips. When he did pick them up, they paid less. Other drivers have similar stories. Parvish Kumar left his gig at a taxi company to begin driving for a ride-hailing company, he said, because the pay was originally better. But now, his pay has fallen.

B次元官网网址淲e have to work up to 14 hours to make a decent wage. I start at 6 in the morning and I finish up at 6 or 8 at night,B次元官网网址� Samra said. He has considered finding another job but says he feels stuck.

B次元官网网址淲hat they do is they trap the driver and the customer by initially providing good incentives. People leave their other full-time jobs. And then they play their hand,B次元官网网址� he said.

BainsB次元官网网址� bill would set a new minimum wage for drivers like Samra, ensuring they receive 120 per cent of minimum wage, or just over $20 an hour.

But that rate applies only to the B次元官网网址渆ngaged timeB次元官网网址� when a driver is actively on the move. And many drivers say they spend a significant chunk of their time waiting or searching for new rides.

B次元官网网址淚f weB次元官网网址檙e working 80 hours, weB次元官网网址檙e spending 40 hours sitting and waiting for rides. WeB次元官网网址檙e not paid anything for that 40 hours,B次元官网网址� said Sharma.

Drivers also have complaints that donB次元官网网址檛 fall squarely in BainsB次元官网网址� responsibilities. Some, for example, say they need dedicated drop-off and pickup points in Vancouver, just like taxis. They say parking tickets from that municipality are a constant problem.

And some have argued Metro Vancouver should follow Toronto by placing a cap on the number of ride-hailing drivers allowed to work. A City of Vancouver spokesperson said the number of licences for such vehicles grew from 15,886 in 2021 to 25,532 in 2023. That growing number of drivers B次元官网网址� and their frustration B次元官网网址� is one of the reasons this group has become so mobilized and vocal.

Drivers arenB次元官网网址檛 alone in their criticisms. BainsB次元官网网址� bill stipulates gig workers would be employees under the governmentB次元官网网址檚 employment law. But in the same stroke, the bill also excludes them from some benefits guaranteed by that law, like sick pay. Sussanne Skidmore, president of the BC Federation of Labour, said in a previous interview with The Tyee that she worries those kinds of carve-outs set a dangerous precedent.

What is certain is that the gig workers are no longer faceless drivers. TheyB次元官网网址檙e here, organized B次元官网网址� and angry.

B次元官网网址淭he legislation they bring is given by Uber, actually, so basically thatB次元官网网址檚 what weB次元官网网址檙e asking him to change. We want legislation that favours drivers and customers,B次元官网网址� Sharma said.

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