You may be paying more for Uber, but drivers aren’t getting their cut of the fare hike

As part of the changes for California drivers announced in April, Uber uncoupled driver earnings from passenger fares. Drivers used to receive a proportionate percentage of what customers paid, meaning they would see an earnings bonus aligned with the customer surge — two times the usual price, for example. Instead of receiving a portion of the true value of what customers pay, drivers now instead are paid for their time and distance on the trip and a predetermined bonus, say $3, $5 or $10 for any price surges.