Uber may have been aware it was underpaying NYC drivers as early as 2015

Last week, Uber announced it had underpaid NYC drivers by millions of dollars because they calculated commissions on fares before removing the sales tax. If a ride was $10, and included $1 in sales tax, they should have calculated their commission on $9. Instead, they were calculating their commission on all $10. Uber claimed they had only recently discovered the error. However, new evidence suggests Uber may have known about the issue as early as 2015.

According to the New York Times:

Now evidence has emerged suggesting that Uber and New York State regulators were aware of the improper deductions from drivers’ earnings as early as 2015.

A plaintiffs lawyer the times spoke to had the following to say:

Richard Emery, a plaintiffs’ lawyer who litigated a 2009 case with similar issues, said the change in the contract was “very powerful circumstantial evidence that they understood that their calculation of the commission was wrong.”

If you’re a NYC Uber driver, you might want to contact an attorney.

Source: The New York Times