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Since Uber, Lyft, Doordash etc. were introduced, workers could turn to them after a layoff or during a financial emergency. The conditions weren't great, but you could lose your job today and be behind the wheel earning money by tomorrow. Now, that has changed drastically.

We talked to drivers who had made just these kinds of career shifts: a baker in S.F., a butcher in Milan. I met an Uber driver who started driving when shifts at his main job, with Marriott, dried up. Now he's pivoting again, trying food delivery, because no one is taking rides.

Drivers were gathering at airports, which have always been a consistent source of revenue. It was bleak. The waiting lot was closed off with cones because there were hundreds of drivers already waiting. Some were waiting for 2.5 hours (instead of a usual 20 min) for one $14 ride.

Wait time is unpaid. Bored, the drivers have nothing to do but socialize — while health officials recommend isolation. Some port-a-potties there have hand sanitizer. Some don't. Rides have already fallen by half and they are worried about making rent and car payments.