For-hire vehicle drivers in New York City spend $20-30,000 per year on the inputs that keep the industry moving: vehicles, insurance, fuel, oil changes, repairs, car washes, dash cameras, phone service, and on top of all this, the apps take around 30% of the fare as commission. These costs push drivers into poverty. And most inputs are provided by industries that themselves exploit workers and pollute the environment. The IDG New Economy Initiative seeks to replace the predatory ecosystem of businesses that serve the for-hire vehicle industry with an ecosystem of socially-responsible, green, and worker-owned entities.
In Summer 2019, IDG’s membership elected a Driver Cooperative Advisory Council to guide our strategy for transforming the political economy of the for-hire vehicle industry. In Fall 2019, we launched a participatory action research project to map out and analyze the industry and begin crafting business plans for socially-responsible, green, and worker-owned alternatives.
We have now begun establishing strategic partnerships to bring down costs for our members and grow a new ecology of high-road enterprises in the industry. We are actively seeking partnerships with investors interested in financing systems change in the platform economy as well as app developers, vehicle manufacturers and dealers, insurance companies, car washes, repair shops, electronics manufacturers, mobile phone providers, and unions, community organizations, and government entities connected to these sectors.
If you are interested in working with us, email neweconomy@drivingguild.org.
We wish to thank the Workers Lab and Capital Impact Partners for their generous support of this initiative.