Rideshare drivers strike at Nashville airport as Labor Day travel begins

As one of the biggest travel weekends of the year kicks off, more than 100 rideshare drivers are refusing to take fares at Nashville International Airport. Members of the newly formed Tennessee Drivers Union are on strike for better pay and better conditions.

At one point, the airport shut down access to the rideshare lot and refused to allow more drivers to enter and join the strike on Friday.

“We tried to unionize because the giants of Uber and Lyft have been mistreating the drivers,” said Arcangelo Wilson, who is originally from South Sudan and has lived in Nashville for over two decades.

He said that when he started driving for rideshare services six years ago, he could expect to take home about 70% of the fare. Now, he said it’s more like 30%. That means taking more fares and working longer hours to make ends meet.

“You’re exhausting yourself, and you’re not making any money,” he said. “Most of us that are driving, we have families.”

In addition to higher pay, drivers are advocating for better, cleaner restrooms in the rideshare lot where they wait to pick up passengers at the airport — including the addition of a women’s bathroom.

The union is asking for state and local authorities to ban out-of-state drivers, crack down on illegal taxis and cap the number of rideshare drivers in the Nashville area — and they want to meet with leaders including Mayor Freddie O’Connell to discuss their concerns. The union has also cited drunk electric scooter drivers as a major safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians downtown.

In a statement to WPLN News, a spokesperson for Lyft said that they have worked to improve driver pay and transparency in recent years.

“Improving the driver experience is essential to our purpose. That’s why we’ve been releasing a steady drumbeat of new offerings and commitments … Now, drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees.”

A spokesperson for Nashville International Airport deferred to Uber, which has not yet responded to WPLN’s request for comment.

Update: This story has been updated to remove information about a Broadway caravan that was planned for Friday night by Tennessee Drivers Union. The group has canceled that in favor of periodic strikes.