Crossing the digital picket line? Uber and Lyft offer discounts as drivers strike

Drivers are shutting off apps in protest across more than a dozen US cities as Uber prepares to go public

Uber and Lyft are offering riders and drivers discounts and incentives to use the app on Wednesday as drivers seeking better wages strike across the US.

Uber drivers are shutting off apps in protest across more than a dozen US cities as the company prepares to go public, demanding better pay and more protections. To support the drivers, advocates have called on users to stay off the app on Wednesday. But this week, many customers of Lyft and Uber have reported receiving coupons and discount codes timed around the protest, leading many to claim the companies are trying to lure them over the digital picket line.