Date: December 31, 2024
Contact: Molly Weedn, (415) 209-4217
[email protected]

App-Based Drivers Are Essential During Holiday Season

Drivers share perspective on how important flexibility of app-based work is during the holiday season

Nearly 60 percent of California voters passed Prop 22 in November 2020, protecting the ability of app-based rideshare and delivery drivers to remain independent contractors while providing historic new benefits, including guaranteed earnings and access to health care. In survey after survey, one thing is consistently and overwhelmingly clear: drivers want to remain independent contractors and prefer flexible app-based work.

The Protect App-Based Drivers + Services Coalition (PADS) reached out to several app-based drivers over the last months to talk about their experiences driving during the holiday season. Here is what a few of them had to say:

“Living in a summer travel destination, things can get slow in the fall when kids go back to school and vacations come to an end,” said Al Porche, a San Diego app-based driver. “The downtime in the fall allows me to spend more time with my family and pick up new hobbies. I know that as Halloween, Thanksgiving and the December holidays ramp up, I can drive more hours as the demand increases.”

“I love to drive more during the holidays,” said Cora Mandapat, Bay Area Lyft driver. “Not only is it a busier time for drivers and an opportunity to earn a little extra income, but it’s a busier time for passengers, too. Whether it’s taking someone home after a holiday party or driving a family to church on Christmas Eve, it’s a great way to connect with people during the special season.”

“The period from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve is a great time to earn extra income for the holidays,” said Stephanie Whitfield, a Coachella-based Instacart driver. “I don’t have to worry about the financial strain that comes with the holiday season because I know there is plenty of demand for drivers like me to work more hours if we want to.”

A survey from 2023 showed that:

• 71 % of drivers prefer being independent contractors
• 84% of drivers say that flexibility is important to them
• 79% of drivers say that the ability to make extra money is important

About Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) Coalition

The Protect App-Based Drivers & Services (PADS) coalition, formerly the Yes on Prop 22 coalition, is continuing to engage to ensure the will of California voters is upheld; to protect access to independent, app-based jobs; and to preserve the availability, affordability and reliability of on-demand app-based rideshare and delivery services that are essential to Californians and our economy.

Proposition 22 was supported by 60% of California voters, 120,000 drivers, and a diverse coalition of more than 140 groups including social justice, senior, community, business, veterans and many others.