How Things Work: If the coop model can succeed in Minneapolis, that would significantly undermine the power of Uber and Lyft’s threats to pull out of other cities in the future. Do you interact directly with those companies at all? Do they view you as a threat? Do they try to actively hold you back, or do they mostly leave you alone? What’s your message to regular people about why they should use you, rather than those ubiquitous apps?
Forman: We’re somewhere between the “first they ignore you” and “then they laugh at you” phases. People should use us because on average, we’re a little cheaper than Uber, and drivers make 10% above the minimum wage. And it’s worker-owned. We’re building lasting power in this industry in a democratic, worker-controlled organization.
How Things Work: For people who can see the logic of a driver’s cooperative, what’s the best way to help—in Minneapolis, and also in cities that don’t have such a thing yet?
Forman: For people who want to help—please download the app and share it with friends. We just created a new feature where you can see how many drivers and riders have been recruited in your area, and you can easily share the app with a QR code and other tools. Also, we certainly need funds to get this done. If you can, donate a bit to the effort to build a co-op in Minneapolis. {read}