Drivers with Kansas City's IRIS microtransit program are suing, accusing the company's operator, zTrip, of cheating them out of thousands in overtime pay.
A federal class-action suit filed in Kansas City claimed drivers worked beyond 40 hours a week without time-and-a-half pay while zTrip treated them as independent contractors. Drivers said the long hours have left them trapped in debt, even though they are working challenging schedules to support their families.
Darian Hall, who has been driving for IRIS since 2023, said at a recent news conference that the overtime pay would make a big difference for his family.
"It's a struggle trying to pay the rent, bills and groceries, especially since I have a couple of teenage boys I help take care of," Hall explained. "I've been donating plasma for over a year, just to supplement my income."
Drivers argued the company misclassified them as contractors to dodge paying overtime, and they said they will not stop organizing until they’re made whole. zTrip declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Faith leaders, labor groups, and civil rights advocates are backing the drivers and are urging Kansas City officials to rethink their partnership with zTrip.
Jordan Hoffman Kahle, attorney at the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom in Kansas City, also speaking at the news conference, praised IRIS drivers for working collectively to demand restitution.
"Class and collective action of lawsuits are the only kind of suits where people can use their power in numbers to win," Hoffman Kahle contended. "That's exactly what IRIS drivers are doing."
This story was originally published by The Missouri Public News Service—a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
