Logan airport officials are telling travelers to prepare for the Uber/Lyft strike Wednesday
"You may want to make backup plans."
Boston ride-hail users traveling to and from Logan International Airport on Wednesday may want to have a Plan B.
In anticipation of a national strike by Uber and Lyft drivers Wednesday, airport officials are reminding local travelers about Logan’s other transportation options, such as the Logan Express bus and the MBTA’s Blue and Silver lines (the latter of which is free for those departing the airport).
“If you’re traveling, we have many other modes of transportation that passengers should utilize to & from the airport,” the airport tweeted Tuesday afternoon, later adding, “you may want to make backup plans.”
Logan officials additionally plugged the Back Bay express bus, which recently lowered the price of a single trip from $7.50 to $3.
Uber & Lyft drivers indicated they are planning a strike for tomorrow 5/8. If you’re traveling, we have many other modes of transportation that passengers should utilize to & from the airport – including Logan Express & the @MBTA Silver Line and Blue Line. https://t.co/xSIBqx8VzU
— Boston Logan International Airport (@BostonLogan) May 7, 2019
Due to Uber & Lyft drivers striking in Boston tomorrow 5/8, travelers who planned to use Uber and Lyft to get to/from Logan can choose other transportation options. Back Bay LEX is a great alternative: $3 for ride to Logan, FREE from Logan to Back Bay. https://t.co/CdX3g4leE5
— Boston Logan International Airport (@BostonLogan) May 7, 2019
If you’re traveling WED 5/8 afternoon/evening & planning to use Uber or Lyft to/from airport, you may want to make backup plans for transportation due to drivers on strike. @MBTA Silver Line is FREE from Logan to downtown & Blue Line is another option. https://t.co/QjIB7Wv2yD
— Boston Logan International Airport (@BostonLogan) May 7, 2019
Last month, Massport officials approved a plan to move most ride-hail pickups and drop offs to a designated area in Logan’s central parking garage. However, it could be more difficult to secure a ride anywhere at the airport Wednesday.
Uber and Lyft drivers in major cities across the country, including Boston, are staging a single-day strike in a national protest for higher wages ahead of Uber’s planned initial public offering Thursday.
“Wall Street investors are telling Uber and Lyft to cut down on driver income, stop incentives, and go faster to Driverless Cars,” Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance said in a statement last week. “Uber and Lyft wrote in their S1 filings that they think they pay drivers too much already. With the IPO, Uber’s corporate owners are set to make billions, all while drivers are left in poverty and go bankrupt.”
In a statement, a Lyft spokesperson said that the company’s drivers’ “hourly earnings have increased over the last two years” to an average of more than $20 an hour; Uber did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The Boston Independent Drivers Guild, which represents local ride-hail drivers, announced Sunday that it would join the action in a show of solidarity, according to WBUR. The group is asking its drivers and riders to not use their Uber or Lyft apps for all 24 hours Wednesday.
It’s unclear how disruptive the demonstration will be.
Felipe Martinez, a member of the guild’s board of directors, told Boston magazine Monday that the group has about 200 members. As of 2017, more than 60,000 had registered with the state of Massachusetts to drive for Uber or Lyft. However, Martinez says they’re mobilizing to get the word out.
“I think there is gonna be a lot of traction. When I worked yesterday I picked up 20 people. Five people said, ‘Good luck with the strike on Wednesday,’” he told Boston magazine. “This isn’t the last time they’re gonna hear from us.”
