NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – More than a hundred rideshare drivers went on strike Friday at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) before planning to caravan on Broadway.
The Tennessee Drivers Union (TDU) is demanding better pay, alleging Uber and Lyft take 60-80% of the fare on any given ride.
TDU is the largest rideshare union effort in the South, according to the organization.
TDU’s members chose to strike at the start of the Labor Day weekend to show how important they are to Nashville’s tourism industry.
“For us, when they are not making money and losing, then they will understand this is an issue that drivers are trying to raise,” TDU member, Arkanglo Wilson, said.
TDU’s demands include an expansion of the rideshare lot at BNA, and clean bathrooms for drivers. They’re asking for scooters to end at 9 p.m. and for out-of-state drivers to be banned.
“[The airport] has been reluctant to give us more space for the drivers, so when you come to the airport and you are not making money, you are not getting rides if you keep moving around, if you’re not at the staging area,” Wilson said.
The TDU is demanding meetings with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, the Metro Council, Metro Nashville Airport Authority and the Transportation Licensing Commission, to discuss their demands.
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