Readers React: No sympathy for Lyft drivers struggling to make ends meet

To the editor: While one ought to have empathy for the plight of Lyft drivers who live in the cars they rent, I cannot ignore that these people decided to “work” for so-called rideshare companies for slave wages and in direct competition with licensed, insured and inspected taxi drivers.

These taxi drivers barely made a living off their trade and were undercut by Lyft’s and Uber’s scab labor. No one can take pleasure in this except the venture capitalists and money managers who put this stuff together and convinced young folks that using Uber and Lyft was a requirement for living in modern society.

The lack of responsibility by consumers and the inability of labor to fight back against these forces are among the primary causes of the income disparities this nation is experiencing.

Glen Mowrer, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: One wonders what the point is of a story about Lyft drivers utilizing the company’s car rental program not being able to “make it” financially.

These individuals are not compelled to drive for Lyft, nor is Lyft compelled to even provide a program — and not at terms dictated by government, which seems to be the purpose of the article.

Of course, Lyft might be compelled to provide a much more generous program, raise prices, lose riders, lose money and eventually become bankrupt.

In that scenario, millions of consumers, including the elderly and the young marginally or not employed, would suffer as their transportation costs would become unaffordable or impossibly inconvenient.

Kip Dellinger, Santa Monica

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