Rideshare Weekend Roundup [Sunday, September 26th, 2021]

• [Reuters]:   Uber Technologies (UBER.N) said it would start rolling out its pension plan to all eligible drivers in the United Kingdom, months after the ride-hailing service granted workers’ rights to its drivers in the country. In March, Uber had reclassified its more than 70,000 drivers in Britain as workers following a Supreme Court ruling. Uber had also said it would offer guaranteed entitlements, including holiday pay, a pension plan and limited minimum wage. On Friday, the Silicon Valley company said it would contribute 3% of a driver’s earnings into a pension plan, while drivers can choose to contribute a minimum of 5% of their qualifying earnings… [read full article]
• [The Street]:   Food-delivery companies DoorDash – Get DoorDash Report, Uber Eats – Get Uber Technologies, Inc. Report, and Grubhub – Get Grubhub, Inc. Report fell after New York City passed legislation to tighten regulation on the industry and boost delivery workers’ rights. The measures require restaurants to grant couriers access to bathrooms. They set minimum per-trip payments as well as a guarantee that couriers receive full tips. And they allow the workers to set limits on their routes, reports say… [read full article]
• [Newsweek]:   Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, has come in for ridicule online after he was pictured riding on the New York City subway system. Uber’s ridesharing service is used by an estimated 93 million people worldwide. However, it appears Khosrowshahi thought better of using the app when it came to traveling around the Big Apple on this occasion. The 52-year-old was pictured riding the subway by Uber’s director of public policy and communications, who posted the picture of Khosrowshahi to Twitter… [read full article]
• [Seattle Refined]:  Minneapolis-based twin sisters and Joshin co-founders Melissa Danielsen (CEO) and Melanie Fountaine (COO) are thrilled to see their product enter the Seattle market. The duo has created a digital care platform that connects care providers to families with specialized care needs — because they understand this struggle firsthand. Joshin is clearly filling a need currently felt by many other families, as the company has experienced a 200% increase in its community base in the past year (including care providers and members). The need for the type of support offered has become particularly acute during the pandemic, and has been a major factor in mothers leaving the workforce. “We’ve been everything from sisters to direct-care providers to working moms,” said Danielson, explaining the company’s origin. “Growing up, our big brother Josh had developmental disabilities and epilepsy. Like the 1-in-5 families across the country with complex needs, we continuously struggled to find reliable care.”… [read full article]
• [The Philadelphia Inquirer]:   Ray Givaudan has driven for Lyft, Uber and even briefly Instacart to supplement his retirement over the last few years. At first, the 55-year-old was loyal to Lyft. But then Uber introduced a long pickup fee to pay more if he goes out of his way to pick up a passenger. In addition, he could see what a customer paid for a trip, helping him understand whether he was getting a fair share. Instacart provided more opportunities for work during the pandemic. “The first couple of years with Lyft, you seemed to be a decent company and transparent,” the Roanoke-based driver recently wrote in a letter to Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer. “The last couple of years, not so much.” He cited the disappearance of surge-priced pay, lagging driver rewards, and the removal of helpful features such as a live phone help line for drivers. Lyft has spent years trying to win over drivers and passengers with fun branding, an emphasis on social justice and charitable causes, and in-app tipping. The perks gave it a reputational edge in a marketplace where rival Uber was criticized for its treatment of drivers and corporate scandals, and where food and grocery delivery was a budding and uncertain sector of the gig economy, often with lower pay… [read full article]
• [Forbes]:   “We feel that as individuals and as a company we have a responsibility to use the platform that we have for good,” says Zimmer. But that’s not all that’s had them working through the night. Last month the company achieved a major milestone: profitability of $23.8 million for the second quarter as compared to a $44 million adjusted loss expected by analysts polled by FactSet. This despite the pandemic tanking the rideshare company’s market by 70% at the onset of the crisis. Now, he and CEO Logan Green are focused on their long-term vision: transforming Lyft into a “transportation network,” something they say presents a $1 trillion market opportunity… [read full article]
• [The Verge]:   The lives of delivery workers in major US cities are dangerous, surprisingly expensive, and largely only possible because of the support app-based laborers offer each other. But a new editorial series from Rest of World shows that the experiences of US-based gig workers aren’t unique — trying to make a living while at the whims of indifferent platforms is difficult no matter what country you’re in. Rest of World’s overview is based on a survey of over 4,000 gig workers across the world. The publication’s findings are extensive — there’s plenty to examine from just about every angle you can imagine — but the similarities drawn between workers in different countries is striking… [read full article]
• [sUAS NEWS]:   Expa – a global network of startup founders supporting entrepreneurs through expertise, access, and funding – today announced a strategic investment in Wingcopter. Getting things to where they need to go isn’t always simple and, often, can be critically urgent. That’s where Wingcopter comes in. The leading German company not only develops and manufactures autonomous delivery drones, but also operates drone-delivery-as-a-service infrastructure. Whether deploying vital supplies, life-saving medicine, parcels, or spare parts—the sky is Wingcopter’s highway. Expa’s support of Wingcopter aligns with the firm’s mission of backing tech-enabled companies that build the next generation of category champions and solve global challenges through innovation. Expa’s hands-on, partnership-driven approach has resulted in the growth and development of industry-shaping companies across transportation and logistics, including Beacon, Aero, and Convoy… [read full article]

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