About 100 drivers for Uber, Lyft and other app-based gig services are going on strike Wednesday in Orlando, joining numerous others in cities across the country protesting what they call “poverty wages,” fears of being unfairly deactivated from the app and unsafe working conditions.

The nationwide Valentine’s Day work stoppages could hamper travel for some – though representatives of Uber and Lyft say previous strikes have had minimal impacts on wait times and ride prices. Many drivers in Orlando and elsewhere are expected to continue working despite the Wednesday job action.

Adalberto Perez, a full-time driver using both major platforms who plans not to work on Wednesday, is hoping the strike leads to improvements in pay. He said drivers currently receive about 30% of the total fare a rider pays, which means they get about $35 for a drive from Orlando International Airport to the Tampa area, and about $15 from the airport to Walt Disney World.

“We’ve tried to let them know that we need at least 70% for the drivers and 30% for Uber,” he said. “We don’t have benefits. We pay for the car, for the gas, for the maintenance…so now we need to do something all together.”

A spokesperson for Uber said some drivers have the misconception that the company is taking the vast majority of each fare, when in places like Orlando, Uber faces steep auto insurance costs, tolls and a $7 per-ride fee from MCO that is all passed onto riders as part of the fare.

“There are fixed costs that go into what a rider pays that are not a component of what driver makes and what Uber takes,” said Javi Correoso, a spokesman for Uber.

In a statement, the company added that previous strikes have “rarely had an impact on trips, prices or driver availability,” and that drivers make about $33 per hour they spend completing trips.

In its own statement, Lyft pointed to several new policies announced last week it says are focused on improving conditions for drivers, ranging from increased pay to safety options.

“Now, drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees,” the statement reads. After expenses, the company says drivers made $23.46 an hour on average in the second half of last year.

The strike is expected to last all day Wednesday and is focused on ten cities across the country including Chicago, New York, Newark and Tampa as well as Orlando. A rally organized by the Independent Drivers Guild and the Justice for App Worker Coalition is scheduled for 11 a.m. at a rideshare waiting lot at MCO, and 100 drivers are expected to participate, a coalition spokesperson said.

“Americans depend on Uber and Lyft drivers to get them to their destination, but what they may not know is that the app companies are pocketing big chunks of each fare, leaving drivers on their own to struggle with soaring expenses,” said Brendan Sexton, the national president of the Independent Drivers Guild in a statement. “Rideshare drivers across the nation are saying enough is enough. Uber and Lyft need to start listening to the drivers who riders depend on and stop exploiting their workforce.”

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com