Driver’s Seat Cooperative Is Changing The Way RideShare Drivers Drive

Startups have always paved the way for new and ingenious ideas for business models. In recent years, startups have been utilizing and experimenting with cooperative business models, meaning workers and even consumers/users are owners in the company. Driver’s Seat isn’t a ride hailing company, but it is designed for ride hailing drivers to know their worth and maximize it in any way they can. 

In an effort to create community and common good, Driver’s Seat is a cooperative, meaning it is driver-owned. They collect and sell mobility data to city agencies to better transportation for all. When the company turns a profit, so do the driver-owners through dividends.

Driver’s Seat requires their drivers to install an app which educates them on the co-op and their data. The app tracks their personal driving data over time for the driver’s benefit and for the cooperative’s benefit. The app allows the driver to see what their real hourly wages are after expenses. Not only does the app accumulate this data, it uses the data to calculate how each driver’s wages are affected by various driving strategies depending on their location and more. Knowledge is power, and Driver’s Seat gives rideshare drivers more knowledge and more power over their income and time. Through the app, drivers can calculate the best times and locations to pick up rides. It makes sure drivers are as efficient as possible so they can reclaim their time and not waste it. The app also helps calculate the odds of earning bonuses depending on the ridesharing company Uber, Lyft, or other local options. The data is not just specific to the driver. Driver’s Seat utilizes data from across all its drivers to give a full picture of what is going on in each area. 

Driver’s Seat isn’t just helpful to drivers, it is also being used by cities, states, and other government bodies. The app takes all the data they compile from ride hailing drivers and aggregates it. This information is then directly marketed to specific areas and locales to help governments with any planning purposes and needs they have. 

The ultimate goal of Driver’s Seat is to optimize earnings and help cities create better transportation agencies for their citizens.