EP 16 - Ridin' Shotgun with The Rideshare Guy

This is Episode 16 of the Inside Transportation Podcast. This podcast was made possible by Ford Motor Company (www.ford.com) and Fenwick (www.fenwick.com). Access the full show notes here: https://www.notion.so/EP-16-Ridin-Shotgun-with-The-Rideshare-Guy-dfd0c4b4d3474fcba5919f0301cd2d4f Featuring Johan Moreno (Inside.com) and Harry Campbell (The Rideshare Guy) Subscribe to Inside Transportation newsletter: inside.com/transportation Subscribe to Inside Electric Vehicles newsletter: inside.com/evs Recorded on August 11, 2020. Joining us on today's episode as a special co-host is Harry Campbell, also known as The Rideshare Guy. Harry runs one of the largest driver communities online, dedicated to ride-hailing driver resources and more. You can visit his website at therideshareguy.com or listen to his podcast here! Harry's latest podcast where he interviewed Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: https://therideshareguy.com/rsg140-dara-khosrowshahi-on-ubers-third-way/ **8:10 - UBER CEO SUGGESTS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAKING DRIVERS EMPLOYEES** - For years, ride-hailing and other gig economy companies have been criticized for their decision to classify workers as independent contractors. - In an op-ed for the New York Times, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi suggested the government act to create a new worker classification for gig economy workers: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/opinion/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-gig-workers-deserve-better.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage **17:55 - DO UBER DRIVERS WANT TO BE COMPANY EMPLOYEES?** - A recent survey, commissioned by Uber shows app-based drivers don't want to be company employees. - A recent estimate from Barclays said Uber would pay about $2,040 per employee per year if they were to re-classify workers as employees. An estimate from Khosrowshahi's op-ed said the company said a driver would receive about $1,350 in benefit pay under proposal (driver in Colorado working 35 hours). **32:00 - GIG ECONOMY COMPANIES FACE ANOTHER CHALLENGE IN CALIFORNIA: PROP 22** - Yesterday, Uber and Lyft were dealt a blow, as a San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction that would require both companies to classify workers as employees. **42:00 - EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON DRIVERS** - In the company's latest earnings call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said ride bookings in core U.S. markets were down as much as 85% during Q2. Lyft has also reported similar declines in ridership. - Independent, gig-economy workers were eligible for additional unemployment pay ($600 per week) but now, many of those benefits dried up.