An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a minimum pay standard for Uber and Lyft drivers on Tuesday, the second city in the US to do so. Under the new regulation going in to effect in January, the ride-hailing services will be required to pay their drivers at least $16.39 an hour. The law, passed in a 9-to-0 vote, is modeled after one passed by New York in August 2018 that caps how many ride-hailing cars from services like Uber and Lyft can be on the street. Seattle’s law will require drivers be paid at least 56 cents per minute and $1.33 per mile driven while transporting passengers. Lyft criticized the move, saying it would eliminate thousands of jobs. “The City’s plan is deeply flawed and will actually destroy jobs for thousands of people — as many as 4,000 drivers on Lyft alone — and drive ride-share companies out of Seattle,” Lyft said in a statement. “Uber may have to make changes in Seattle because of this new law, but the real harm here will not be to Uber,” Uber said. “It is the drivers who cannot work and the community members unable to complete essential travel that stand to lose because of the ordinance.”

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Source: Slashdot – Seattle Approves Minimum Wage For Uber and Lyft Drivers