Most Uber and Lyft drivers in LA work full time and still struggle to make ends meet, study says

UCLA's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment found that more than half of Uber and Lyft drivers in Los Angeles drive full time, and many struggle to pay for expenses. (Richard B. Levine/Sipa USA/TNS)

LOS ANGELES: When ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft arrived in Los Angeles six years ago, they sold Angelenos on the narrative that driving for their companies was little more than a side-hustle – a flexible way to make money while being your own boss. 

That narrative is no longer true in 2018, according to research from UCLA's Institute for Research on Labour and Employment, which found that more than half of Uber and Lyft drivers in Los Angeles drive full time. Many also struggle to pay for expenses such as gas, insurance and vehicle maintenance costs, and around a third either purchased or leased their car specifically to drive for the companies and must now continue driving to pay off those loans.