- Uber and Lyft drivers in Florida saw gas shortages and obstructed roads before and after Milton.
- Five drivers said these impediments prevented them from helping people and earning valuable income.
- Some are hoping they can quickly return to driving to make up for the lost income from the storm.
Sergey, a Lyft driver in St. Petersburg, Florida, helped families load their suitcases into the trunk of his car before driving them to a nearby hurricane shelter on October 9. Many of his passengers were anxious about Hurricane Milton’s arrival and racing to evacuate in the hours before it hit.
Sergey completed 12 rides on October 9, according to screenshots shared with BI. He said several of his passengers faced flooding and destruction from Hurricane Helene two weeks prior and were scrambling to return to their routines. Many brought their pets with them. Some didn’t know if their homes would be standing the next day.
After making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Milton caused at least 14 deaths and left millions without power. In the days preceding the storm, some Uber and Lyft drivers went from transporting beachgoers to helping residents flee their communities — before eventually fleeing themselves. But after Milton passed, five drivers told BI that inaccessible roads, a lack of gas, and a suspended ride-hailing app prevented them from helping people and earning valuable income.
“I drove for several hours right after the storm, and there was not a single gas station open anywhere in St. Petersburg,” said Sergey, 54, who asked to use his first name for fear of professional repercussions.
From his 12 rides, Sergey made $129 before expenses and received one tip. His home is without power, and driving is his only source of income. However, his car only has three miles of gas left, and each day without earnings is stressful, he said.
Many of his rides over the last few days were headaches — one paid $5.36 for a 16-minute ride, which he said compares to the amount he’d expect to make for a similar journey, while another was elongated because of closed exits. He rejected a 113.5-mile ride from Clearwater to Orlando because the estimated payout was $84.31 with a bonus, far less than what’s standard, he said. Some rides he accepted had no people waiting at the destination.
During Hurricane Milton, Uber suspended service for several hours in three Florida cities that were in the storm’s direct path: Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Tampa Bay, a spokesperson told BI. They added that service has been restored in these metro areas but remains suspended along the most heavily impacted barrier islands.
Additionally, the spokesperson told Business Insider the company worked closely with state officials in Florida over the past few weeks to assess the situation posed by the hurricanes and partnered with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to provide some people with free transportation to shelters.
Lyft did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment or questions regarding whether the app also suspended service during the storm.
The evacuation process was “stressful”
Drivers across the state recalled panicked passengers, fallen trees blocking roads, and lengthy gas station lines on October 10 and 11.
Trent T., 50, drives independently for his own transportation company and for Uber and Lyft in South Florida. He said the tornadoes from Milton were “absolutely insane,” and one of his clients’ homes was destroyed. He asked to use partial anonymity for fear of professional repercussions.
On October 8, Trent said he went to six gas stations before he could find one with inventory and fill up his tank. On the day of the storm, Trent drove passengers fleeing the Tampa Bay area to hotels, noticing that many stores were out of essentials like water. He said hotels in South Florida were mobbed, and he offered his house to anyone evacuating, though no one accepted.
Blaine, an Uber driver based in the Tampa area, left his home after learning he was in an evacuation zone. Hotels quickly booked up across the state, but he said he secured a room in Ocala — about a two-hour drive from Tampa.
However, there was a mixup with the hotel regarding the night he booked, and his reservation was void. He drove to a hotel in Savannah, Georgia, to seek shelter. The typical five-and-a-half-hour drive from Tampa took eight hours due to traffic, he said.
“That was stressful,” the 57-year-old told BI.
Drivers are eager to return to their ride-hailing gigs for necessary income
Trent said he can go a few days without consistent rides and their fares but feels for drivers who live paycheck to paycheck. He said the storm could be disastrous for some drivers relying on tourism this time of year, which isn’t as high as the city’s peak season but still draws crowds looking for warm weather in the fall.
“If you were in Tampa for instance, and your rent is due this week, and now all of a sudden the storm is coming, you’re five days without work,” Trent said.
It’s why some drivers are looking to get back on the road as soon as possible.
Yvonne, a part-time Uber and Lyft driver in the Tampa Bay area, uses the extra income from driving to help support her two grandchildren. When the hurricane approached, she said she decided not to leave her home because it wasn’t in an evacuation zone. However, the roof of her patio suffered significant damage and she lost power.
She hasn’t driven for Uber or Lyft since the hurricane hit. Yvonne said the roads aren’t conducive to driving because many are flooded or scattered with trees or power lines. However, if the conditions change, she plans to return to her ride-hailing gig by this weekend to start earning money again.
Charles P., 44, who drives part-time around Titusville — a city about 40 miles east of Orlando — said there wasn’t too much damage on the roads, but he stopped driving for a few days to avoid potentially damaging his vehicle. He’s seen a drop in demand and worries that tourism may decline. When he drove on Thursday, he said getting rides was very slow.
“I usually try to do a certain amount of money per day, but I’m probably down about half of what I normally do in three days,” Charles said. “I do foresee, as things get cleaned up, that our income will probably continue to rise or get back to normal.”
Are you an Uber or Lyft driver in a hurricane-impacted area who’s willing to share your story? Reach out to these reporters at jzinkula@businessinsider.com and nsheidlower@businessinsider.com.
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