Walking around a parking lot outside Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Mohammed Tegene is logged on to the Lyft app, waiting for his turn to pick up a passenger.
"When I came in, I was 170-something. Now there’s from 160 to 120 cars ahead of me," Tegene said.
Inside the airport, Tegene said travelers might wait for 10 to 15 minutes for a ride from Lyft and Uber. Meanwhile, drivers could spend a good part of the day in a parking lot across the street from the rental cars, just for the chance to drive a customer home.
"You could get a short trip or you could get a good trip, long trip," Tegene said.
It’s a crap shoot. The wait in the parking lot can be so long airport rideshare drivers have learned to go about their daily routines there. Some stay inside their cars and listen to the news. Many of the rideshare drivers are Muslim and do their daily prayers.
There’s a box filled with mats. Others bring their own padding and kneel in one corner of the parking lot, marked off by several white cones.
Still others pace around the parking lot to get some exercise.
"Because your leg really hurts, sitting down in the car for a long time," Tegene explained.
Tegene’s smile betrayed his smoking habit. He’s originally from Ethiopia but came here as a political refugee at the age of 17. Until about five years ago, he was a taxi driver. He’s been driving for Lyft full time for a couple of years. He can make anywhere from $100 to $200 on any given day.
"Keep in mind that money that I be making this week, majority of it I use for gas for next week," Tegene said.
In 2020, following New York City’s lead, Seattle passed a law meant to ensure rideshare drivers earn at least the minimum wage after expenses. City officials noted many of the drivers in the region are low-income immigrants and people of color, some of whom qualify for food stamps.
Last year, Washington state followed suit. Kerry Harwin is with the state’s Drivers Union that represents rideshare workers.
"There is no better place to be a driver than Washington State," Harwin said.
There were about 20 million rideshare trips in King County last year. More than 4 million people used Lyft and Uber to get to and from the SeaTac airport. Lyft said many of its customers have a disability or use the service to get to other forms of public transportation.
But unlike most drivers, Tegene rents his car from Lyft for hundreds of dollars each week, cutting into his income.
"Right now the focus is on what we view is an intentionally duplicitous deduction from drivers bringing them below the state mandated wage," Harwin said.
Harwin said Lyft has been charging drivers like Tegene an extra hidden fee for renting a car. The state Department of Labor and Industries is looking into several complaints about it. Lyft said it’s cooperating with the investigation. But Tegene said that’s not the only thing.
"My main concern is the safety issue," he said.
Five rideshare drivers have been murdered in Washington state since 2020. Just this month, a pedestrian shot a young rideshare driver in Edmonds. The local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations has pointed to what they say is a disturbing trend of African and other immigrant rideshare drivers being violently targeted.
A proposal currently before the state legislature would expand death benefits to the families of rideshare drivers who have been killed while working.
Aman Singh, a rideshare driver originally from India, has had his own share of run-ins with customers.
A customer, Singh said, "smashed my window. And then he called and complained to Uber, rude driver distracted by phone and false reports, you know."
Singh bought his own dashcam camera but thinks rideshare companies should equip more drivers with one, and do more to screen potential customers.
"People like us, we migrated from other countries so our families depend upon us," Singh said.
Tegene was recently called the N-word by someone he picked up late at night. Because the customer complained to Lyft, Tegene said he was blocked from using the app for several days, leaving him with no way to make a living.
Back in the parking lot near the airport, cars continue to stream in and out.
"So what’s the number now?" I asked Tegene.
"It’s under 100 for me, but there are almost over 200 drivers in the area," he said.
After almost an hour, Tegene’s moved up in the queue, but there’s still plenty of waiting to do for that chance to pick up a passenger.
