Uber Motorists in Brazil and Worldwide Plan to Strike this Wednesday, May 8th

BRAZIL, RIO DE JANEIRO  – This week Uber is planning to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO) which is set to be one of the biggest events of 2019 for market investors worldwide. However, many Uber drivers are also planning to strike this Wednesday, May 8th, in cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, for at least eight hours.

This is according to the Associação de Motoristas de Aplicativos de São Paulo (AMASP) whose president, Eduardo Lima de Souza, told Info Money that on the day of the IPO, the association will launch a plan called “Uber Off” which will involve drivers turning off their application, “practically all over Brazil.”

The drivers, who are being joined by their colleagues in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and London are protesting the IPO, which they say will enrich the company without benefiting those who work for Uber.

In Rio de Janeiro in particular, there is a growing concern among Uber drivers over the rising cost of gasoline, which de Souza also commented on, saying: “In Rio de Janeiro, for example, the situation is complicated. A liter of gasoline costs R$5, which is the price of a short journey. It doesn’t make sense. It’s unacceptable.”

As reported by the Folha de S.Paulo, Paulo Reis, president of the CoopDrivers Co-operative, argues that due to the high price of gasoline and the low wages of the drivers, it would take a thirty percent increase in pay per kilometer and a forty percent increase in pay per minute for drivers to see some measure of profit. “Whoever makes money from this app is leaving something out. They’re either neglecting to pay for fuel, maintenance or tax.” He says.

While many drivers are expected to strike, there will still be cars available to hire, de Souza predicts. Protests around the Uber national headquarters in São Paulo are also expected.

Brazil has an estimated 1 million Uber drivers, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the Folha also reports.