I hear you on that. I never drove for them or Lyft but I suspected this to be true in most markets. Where it sort of becomes a scam is when they are pitching on the radio that you can make $18 / hour. Most people can't calculate the expenses and wear and tear on their vehicles to really know what they are making.
Like most opportunities they sell HOPE. But in my opinion those aren't near as bad as all the MLMs out there.