What difference does categorizing the drivers make?

What argument can you make that Lyft drivers are independent contractors? That they are employees?

Uber began in San Francisco in $2009$; by $2015,$ its drivers were in $50$ countries around the world. In some, like Germany and the Netherlands, Uber was officially banned. When drivers were caught violating the Uber ban, the company would pay their fines. Who are the stakeholders in this situation? Is Uber's practice of paying its drivers fines ethical? In $2016,$ Uber was assessed an $$11\mathrm{.}4$ million fine for operating a transportation business in Pennsylvania