Viral
UberEats Driver On The Verge Of Homelessness Bursts Into Tears As He Made $1 After A 45-Minute Delivery
Changes. We need CHANGES.
It’s not easy to find a job during the pandemic. Small businesses are suffering one by one with restricted guidelines due to lockdown or social distancing. An UberEats driver struggles with his work and life as he can barely make ends meet. Making $1 after a 45-minute delivery became the tipping point for him (no pun intended).
He filmed himself pleading that customers sympathize with drivers because, honestly, the company is not paying them enough. At least, not enough to allow him to pay rent and stay away from the streets. Then, there are the horrible tips that people give, assuming they tip at all.
Riley Todd struggles with rent because he made only $1 after a 45-minute delivery.
This heartbreaking raw video from Riley went viral with more than 2.3 million views on TikTok alone. On Twitter, it has been seen 3.7 million times.
As he tried to hold himself back from crying, Riley explained what just happened. After spending 45 minutes on an order, he had to pay $3 for the parking because the customer refused to come down. Yet, he was only tipped $1.5, and the company paid him $2.5 for the order.
Something needs to be done about this. pic.twitter.com/PvxbgiQl2s
— Christian St. Croix (@SaintsCrossing) February 17, 2021
He made less than $1 for that single order when you include fuel. It’s not enough – he’s struggling with rent but he can’t. Riley added, “It doesn’t matter that I’m working multiple jobs. It doesn’t matter that I barely sleep and can barely afford to feed myself.”
He slapped the reality of his job as a service worker in a country that is heavily dependent on tipping.
His plea went viral on Twitter.
Something needs to be done about this. pic.twitter.com/PvxbgiQl2s
— Christian St. Croix (@SaintsCrossing) February 17, 2021
His plea has been heard – Riley explains that he’s been sent $40,000 which he shared with others in need!
The Seattle Sounders soccer team had also noticed that Riley was wearing their jersey and sent him $500. Seattle Times also reported, “The club’s donation prompted a spontaneous tip challenge where, according to Elliot, supporters for the Sounders, Los Angeles FC and Portland Timbers aimed to one-up each other in donations to Elliot’s Venmo and Cash App accounts.”
Always tip 20% or more but this is proof that tipping shouldn’t ever be income. Companies need to pay their people what they deserve. Tips need to be extra. I’m sick of rich ass companies being cheap ass. I’m so angry.
— The Young-Howze Theatre Journal (@rndyounghowze) February 17, 2021
Lmao, where is your anger for the multi million dollar delivery/food/service industries who refuse to pay their workers properly? The onus should not be on the customer to supplement the person’s wage. Companies shouldn’t treat American service workers like shit. Pressure them.
— Steph (is writing) (@StephanieYeboah) February 20, 2021
From his donation, $12,000 was used to help people struggling with electric bills or medications. A significant amount was also sent to struggling Texans from a prolonged power outage in the middle of a harsh winter storm.
It’s very nice that people are trying to help this man, but the real problem is – why is he getting paid only $2.50 from Ubereats? What sort of crazy wage is that?!!? People shouldn’t have to go out there and BEG for tips in order to survive. We need fair pay!
— Andrea Boyack (@AndreaBoyack) February 18, 2021
Riley reveals that he’d been laid off once in 2017 and then again after the pandemic caused the business he worked for to shut down. Regarding the video where he vented, he admitted that he might have blamed the wrong side.
Something needs to change now.
In a different TikTok video where he’s calmer, he clarified one thing.
Riley thinks it’s how companies would “charge extreme delivery fees and pay their drivers $2.” However, America is a society that relies on and sees tipping as an irreplaceable factor of a service worker’s wage. But it’s really about time that this changes.
