[s73v3r_]

Except Uber & Lyft will punish you if you turn down too many jobs. That doesn't sound like absolute control.

And you never got the opportunity to try and negotiate with either company to start with.

[sokoloff]

A subcontractor who consistently turned down construction work would also be deprioritized by a general contractor.

Because Uber, Lyft, and others periodically offer different incentives in the market, I could make a case that by deciding to sign up on a specific day or respond to a specific offer, you had a chance to accept or decline the company's offer. There's nothing stopping you from reaching out to Uber or Lyft corporate and trying to negotiate your rate. I predict you won't succeed, anymore than the drywall contractor example upthread.

[hunter2_]

Devil's advocate: Maybe it's not each fare that's a job, but each driving session. Uber offering you a particular job is them giving you the "start driving" button, and you are free to not click it.

[s73v3r_]

In the same way that I'm "free" to not go into work, I suppose. But that's ignoring the reality that one is forced to work in order to survive.