美國優步司機收入大揭祕 比你想的要少得多!

Data taken from leaked internal documents has suggested that some Uber drivers in the US are making less than their state's minimum wage. According to a report, Detroit drivers make just $8.10 an hour – 40 cents less than the state's minimum wage.

近日，優步公司流出的內部文件數據表明，美國國內一些優步司機的收入尚未達到其所在州的最低工資標準。據一份報告顯示，底特律地區優步司機的時薪僅爲8.10美元，比該州的最低工資少了40美分。

Despite these initial calculations, a Washington Post report lowered the meagre earnings figures further. As Uber drivers are technically independent contractors and not direct employees of the online taxi service, the drivers also pay out twice the amount of standard tax for usual workers.

除初步估算之外，《華盛頓郵報》的算法則令司機的收入數據進一步降低。由於優步司機屬於獨立運營商，不屬於優步公司的員工，因此繳納的標準稅額是普通工人的兩倍。

After factoring this into its calculations – as well as the average hourly mileage costs for travelling to a pick-up spot without a passenger – Detroit's drivers were estimated to earn $6.60 an hour, with Houston and Denver following at $8.43 and $11.21 respectively.

如果再減去稅額和司機接乘客途中的空車費，底特律的司機的時薪變爲6.60美元，休斯敦和丹佛的司機的時薪則分別爲8.43美元和11.21美元。

The paper spoke to an anonymous Uber representative regarding the initial report, who said "It would be wrong, or at least very challenging, to calculate expenses with such a diverse clientele."

《華盛頓郵報》採訪了優步公司的一位匿名代表，該代表對此發表了看法：“優步公司面對的是多種多樣的乘客，這樣的計算方式存在問題，或者至少會引起爭議。”

Washington Post also spoke to Lawrence Mishel, the president of the Economic Policy Institute, a DC-based think tank. Mishel stated: "Uber likes to play it both ways. It claims that it's the future of work, while it also emphasises that most of the drivers work less than 10 or 12 hours a week. They want to be the wave of the future, but they also want to picture themselves and their drivers earning [extra] money."

《華盛頓郵報》還採訪了位於華盛頓特區的經濟政策研究所的主任勞倫斯·米舍爾。米舍爾表示：“優步希望向外界展示自己在兩方面的優勢。優步一方面聲稱這樣的工作方式纔是未來的工作方式，另一方面則稱優步司機每週的工作時間還不到10小時或12小時。優步希望這能成爲未來的潮流，但同樣希望令世人相信，公司和旗下司機確實在掙錢。”

While the calculations are only applicable to Uber drivers in the US, this isn't the first time accusations of low levels of pay has been levelled at the app-based taxi firm. In February, IBTimes UK spoke to James Farrar and Lucas Malec – two UK-based drivers disillusioned by Uber's commission rates and overall support. Farrar in particular estimated that after expenses he earned just 5.03pounds an hour – well below the 7.20 pounds for UK workers over the age of 25.

儘管上述估算僅適用於美國，但是外界對優步司機收入較低的質疑卻由來已久。今年2月份，IBTimes的英國分站採訪了兩位司機，詹姆斯·法勒和盧卡斯·馬拉克。二人對優步支付的佣金和總體支持政策深感沮喪。法勒表示，在交納各項費用後自己的時薪僅爲5.03英鎊，遠低於英國25歲以上工人7.20英鎊的時薪。

While Uber has recently settled two class-action lawsuits in the US in Massachusetts and California, this was followed by further legal challenges claiming that the company violated the Fair Labor Standard Act.

優步近日在馬塞諸塞州和加利福尼亞州的兩起集體訴訟中和原告達成了和解。隨後美國又陸續出現了對優步違反《公平勞動標準法》的指控。