In 2020, more than 10 million Californians went to the ballot to make their voices heard and to stand with the hundreds of thousands of California Dashers who supported Prop 22. Now, nearly four years since the law was overwhelmingly passed, new metrics show how well it’s working for Dashers.
CALIFORNIA DASHERS ARE EARNING MORE THAN EVER
The new data shows that Dashers in California are earning more than ever. California Dashers earned around $36 per hour while on deliveries in 2023 on average, a 41% increase from 2020 before Prop 22 was enacted.
Bay Area Dashers earned around $38 per hour while on deliveries in 2023, a 36% increase from 2020
Sacramento Dashers earned about $36 per hour while on deliveries in 2023, a 39% increase from 2020
Los Angeles Dashers earned around $35 per hour while on deliveries in 2023, a 39% increase from 2020
San Diego Dashers earned around $36 per hour while on deliveries in 2023, a 45% increase from 2020
PROP 22 GUARANTEES ACCESS TO BENEFITS
Prop 22 also offers unprecedented benefits to Dashers, including a health care stipend that is available to app-based workers who average just 15 hours per week on delivery. While these benefits are important to many Dashers, the vast majority actually find coverage elsewhere, with 80% of Dashers saying they currently have health care coverage through another source, such as their full-time job or spouse. In fact, out of all eligible Dashers, only 11% utilized the health care stipend in the fourth quarter of 2023.
DASHERS SAY FLEXIBILITY AND INDEPENDENCE MATTER MOST
According to a 2023 Dasher survey, Prop 22’s guaranteed flexibility continues to be the most popular provision of the law, with 95% of Dashers surveyed in California saying that flexibility is what made them choose to dash instead of other options for earning income. In fact, nearly 75% of Dashers say they would stop dashing altogether if they could no longer choose how much or how little they work on the platform, even if they received the benefits and other protections of employees. In the fourth quarter of 2023, California Dashers spent an average of roughly six hours per week on delivery.
“There’s nothing more important to me than spending time with friends and family,” said David L., a Dasher from San Francisco. “Dashing allows me the flexibility to pick my own hours and still be there for the most important moments with my loved ones. Thanks to Prop 22, that flexibility is protected and I have access to higher earnings and more critical benefits than I did before voters passed this law.”
Most importantly, Prop 22 protects Dashers’ independence. A recent survey shows that 85% of California Dashers wish to remain independent. When voters passed Prop 22, they listened to Dashers and stood up against special interests to protect the right to work independently. Now with Prop 22 in law, California Dashers know that their freedom and flexibility is guaranteed.
Unfortunately, Prop 22 is under attack, as the same special interests who opposed the law and the will of California Dashers have brought their challenge all the way to the State Supreme Court. We are confident that Prop 22 will remain the law of the land, and we will continue sharing the stories of the hundreds of thousands of Dashers who worked so hard to pass this law and continue to benefit from it.
