When the first ride-for-hire app service arrived in Toronto in 2011, it didn't take long for some drivers to realize that they could make a living by logging on and competing with taxis for fares.
Some eight years later, after apps like Uber were legalized and regulated, it seems as though the drivers who are the lifeblood of these services are in some ways becoming the victim of the apps' success.
NEWSTALK 1010 is increasingly hearing from ride-hailing app drivers who complain that it is becoming too difficult and too risky to rely on these services as a sole source of income.
They claim the Toronto market has become too competitive, and that they have to spend much more time working to make the money they were able to bring in working the same number of hours only a year or two ago.
This comes as Uber and Lyft have put a freeze on hiring new drivers in New York City.
Some argue it is pushback from the companies over new rules that enforce a minimum wage for drivers.
There are also plans next week in a handful of US cities for a boycott of Uber.
Many drivers say they will temporarily switch off their apps on May 8th, as the company lands on the stock market.
We've heard stories from some full-time ride-share app drivers who say they're struggling to make ends meet.
Others say they're working longer hours in order to recover the cost of keeping their vehicle on the road.
"All of the screws tightening is causing drivers to behave more like cabbies," says one veteran ride-for-hire app driver.
Kevin, whose real name is being withheld because he fears reprisal from the company he drives for, says working for a ride hailing app makes financial sense for him mostly because he already has a full-time job.
"Its an un-liveable wage," he says of the income he makes from taking fares.
"Only a very small percentage of drivers can make a reasonable living doing this full-time, after you factor in depreciation of your car, maintenance costs, and fuel costs -- which are only going up."
A study from last year carried out by JP Morgan found ride-for-hire drivers made 53% less in 2017 than they earned in 2013.
Uber explained those findings as the result of an uptick in in part-time drivers.
Kevin describes a working arrangement that is 'precarious' and 'fraught with risk' and claims that over time, the rates and rules surrounding the app he drives for have tilted toward the company, resulting in some drivers taking home less money at the end of a shift.
Kevin argues companies like Uber expect their drivers to act like businesses unto themselves, rather than employees.
The unfortunate reality, he says, is that many of those drivers are simply not good at running a business.
"It is a diminishing return and its been like that forever," he says.
As of last fall, the City of Toronto had issued more than 68,000 'private transportation company' licences.
Those permits are specifically for drivers who work for companies like Uber and Lyft.
Through a written statement, an Uber spokesperson tells NEWSTALK 1010 it provides its drivers with a break-down of its rate structures, along with other information to help them determine when it makes the most sense for them to drive.
"One way we meet that demand is by providing more people the opportunity to earn by driving on our platform. An open marketplace also means anyone who qualifies to work can access work when they need it."
A study published last year by the Economic Policy Institute in the US estimated the hourly wage of an Uber driver in the United States at $11.77.
Several months before that report was released, Uber issued its own data which put a driver's hourly pay rate at just over $21 per hour, before the cost of fuel, depreciation, and service fees.