A Lyft driver from La Mirada is suing the ride-hailing service, alleging its classification of him and others as independent contractors has forced them to pay their own business expenses and be denied overtime.
“Without drivers to perform rides, Lyft would not exist,” according to plaintiff Million Seifu’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, filed Thursday under the Private Attorney General Act of 2004.
Seifu says Lyft drivers should instead be categorized under California law as employees because the company requires its drivers to “abide by a litany of policies and rules designed to control the drivers’ work performance.”
A Lyft representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Lyft drivers “are not typically engaged in their own transportation business. When driving Lyft customers, they wear the `hat’ of Lyft.”
Lyft gets in contact with customers directly if they complain and can suspend or fire drivers at their discretion, the suit states.
Seifu is seeking civil penalties for Lyft’s alleged failure to pay drivers the appropriate overtime and to reimburse them for their expenditures, including fuel and phone costs.