Rideshare Roundup | August 31st, 2021

Here is some news rounded up on the last day of August 2021:

• [GeekWire]: Gig economy companies such as Uber, Instacart, goPuff and others have given workers a new way to earn money on their own schedule. But with that flexibility comes a certain level of income instability — sufficient work and regular paychecks are not always guaranteed as they are in a traditional 9-to-5 job. That’s where Solo comes in. The new Seattle startup, which just announced a $5.5 million seed round, aims to help gig workers by providing hour-by-hour earnings predictions over the course of a week. Solo is so sure of its data that the company offers a guarantee, making up the difference for workers if they end up earning less. The predictions use aggregated historical data from Solo users, as well as potential impact of real-time events… (read full article)
• [Chicago Sun Times]: As thousands of Chicago Public Schools families scrambled to find transportation to the first day of school Monday because of a mass bus driver resignation that officials attributed to anger over a vaccine mandate, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her administration is in talks with rideshare companies to take children to their schools. The move would be highly unusual and could cause yet another set of dilemmas to sort through as parents figure out how to get their kids to classes… (read full article)
• [CNBC]: In early July 2021, Uber and Lyft drivers were about 40% below capacity. The companies have taken notice, and are investing millions worth of bonuses and base rates to convince drivers to return. But to turn things around, these ride-sharing companies might need to do even more to convince drivers to return. “The companies don’t really look at us as human beings, and they just consider us as profit,” says Ben Valdez, a driver and volunteer coordinator for the group Rideshare Drivers United. “Once everything started to slow down, I was making… I think it was around $85 dollars for 12 hours.” Uber’s website says drivers make anywhere between $22 per hour in cities like Orlando, to $37 an hour in cities like New York. Lyft has a long list of incentives and bonuses for drivers. But for those who are still relying on ride-sharing platforms to make a living, the companies are not offering enough… (read full article)
• [New York Times]: A Judge Declared California’s Gig Worker Law Unconstitutional. Now What? The law, the result of a $200 million proposition fight last year, ensures that workers like Uber and Lyft drivers are considered independent contractors… (read full article)
• [The Verge]: Motional, the autonomous vehicle company that is a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, revealed more details about its forthcoming robotaxi as well as some of the first images of the vehicle. The company is also working with Lyft and says that by 2023, customers in certain cities will be able to hail rides in this vehicle using the Lyft app. Motional first announced earlier this year that it would be using the Hyundai Ioniq 5, an all-electric crossover, as its inaugural vehicle. The company hasn’t said how many vehicles it would acquire, nor where it will eventually deploy them for its robotaxi service. It’s currently operating a fleet of BMW 5 series vehicles in Las Vegas in collaboration with Lyft… (read full article)

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