Life in the Driver's Seat: A Qualitative Analysis of Rideshare Drivers' Perspectives of Their Work and Well-Being Using Reddit Posts

Details

• Journal Article:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Lundstrom, Eric W. ; Hoffman, Beth L. ; Hagan-Haynes, Kyla D. ; Sivén, Jacqueline ; Colditz, Jason B. ; Flynn, Michael A. ; Groenewold, Matthew R.
• Description:
  Background: Rideshare driving has become a common occupation within the emerging gig and platform economies. Despite offering a high degree of scheduling flexibility, rideshare driving provides little employment stability, an unstable income, and minimal employment benefits. This precarity, combined with the use of algorithmic labor management to guide drivers' actions, has garnered attention for its potential impacts on these workers' health. Methods: To examine rideshare drivers' perspectives of their work and its implications for their well-being, this exploratory study examined posts (n = 1034) to the digital platform Reddit in the year 2024 using thematic analysis. Results: Themes indicated that workers experience financial precarity but also appreciate the flexibility of rideshare driving. Drivers are also aware of the algorithms that guide their work and, at times, feel that these prevent them from increasing their earnings. Drivers posted about experiences with passengers-both positive and negative-while also discussing the mental stressors of ride sharing and concerns about their physical safety on the job. Conclusions: These findings underscore the varied experiences rideshare drivers encounter in their workplace, while highlighting potential implications for their physical and mental well-being. Understanding these first-hand accounts may inform efforts to improve the well-being of platform-based workers. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Mental Health
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Drivers
  • Motor vehicles
  • Transportation
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Work arrangements
  • Well-being
  • Algorithms
  • Mental health
  • Employment
  • Work environment
  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region OSHA ; Chicago Region OSHA ; Colorado ; Denver Region OSHA ; Georgia ; Indiana ; Ohio ; Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region OSHA
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering ; WSD - Western States Division ; DSI - Division of Science Integration
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  14 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071854
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2026 Jun; :Epub ahead of print
• Contact Point Address:
  Eric W. Lundstrom, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
• Email:
  elundstrom@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260076/cdc_260076_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 443.66 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4a69db81412282a332bc856259f45fbdc94aeeadb723f8a8b4a170b6c8c2d81a52d653dc4485e92e20e5b5d606d4da30800ca1a3439963397ad16ea230bb3dea