I’d like to address this comment in the article: “At a certain point in time you need to understand that Uber, Lyft or the TLC does not control how much money the consumer is willing or able to spend on a trip. We hope TLC drivers get paid more, but we also don’t want to see trip demand start declining too much.” I’m surprised this bit of cold water is being thrown on at this juncture and don’t recall mention of it before. Using the standard of 7.5- mile, 30-minute ride that the TLC has been throwing around I’d like to make a couple of anecdotal observations as a driver. Prior to February 1, 2023 that ride cost approximately $24.60. After February 1, that ride became and currently is approximately $26.03. The proposal for this Monday is $26.76, an increase of 8.8% from before February 1. Drivers are already receiving 66% of that raise. Neither Uber nor Lyft nor the TLC has complained of decreased consumer demand and they are the ones that would have that data and surely would have mentioned it at the latest hearing now that some time has passed since the February 5.8% raise. All we’re talking about for Monday is the remaining 1/3 of the raise, which is 2.8% more from current levels. If consumer demands falls off a cliff because of the remaining 3% then there’s a bigger problem here. Personally, I have seen no drop off in business since February 1 5.8% increase and I certainly don’t anticipate any with a mere 2.8% increase. Moreover, as a driver who once enjoyed an 80/20 split with Uber, keep in mind Uber and Lyft have for years been taking a larger cut of the passenger fare, sometimes as much as 50% or more of the fare. Add to this the taking away of the surge multiplier and what we’re really talking about is drivers getting back money what they have rightfully deserved and Uber having flexibility to keep demand where they want by adjusting passenger fares, either up or down.