Vincenzo Spallino of Delaware County was making $100 a day as a Lyft driver. Now he’s lucky to bring home $20 to $40, writes Patricia Madej for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It’s awful,” said Spallino, 24..

Taxi drivers are having the same problem in the coronavirus pandemic as event cancellations, school and restaurant closures and social distancing efforts mount.

Spallino and others like him who have to operate in a gig economy don’t meet unemployment requirements because they’re independent contractor. Most don’t have medical coverage.

Transportation services are allowed to operate under current conditions, but few, it seems, have anywhere to go.

Ricardo Quintero, 61, of Chadds Ford, said he’s shifted his Uber hours later into the evening, “where the business is nowadays.”

Uber and Lyft are addressing some health concerns—halting shared rides, offering hand sanitizer and disinfectants and suspending accounts of diagnosed riders or drivers.

On the income side, Uber is lobbying so that any government assistance program benefits independent contracts and freelancers. Lyft is not bringing on new drivers so existing drivers will have more earning opportunities.

Still, when economic help comes, drivers they won’t be counted.

Read more about the impact of the pandemic on Uber and Lyft drivers here.

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