Revel, rideshare, and the gig economy
The proliferation of new business models in the mobility space has brought the gig economy to an inflection point. While there’s no doubt that gig workers are here to stay for the foreseeable future, recent events prove that there is space for other business models, especially when it comes to rideshare initiatives.
Meir from the Maniv team recently spoke with Haley Rubinson, VP Business Development at Revel— they unpacked the relationship between mobility start-ups and city regulators, Revel’s new rideshare business, the future of the gig economy, and the question of infrastructure needed to support the electrification of mobility.
Here are some highlights from their conversation:
Inside the mind of a regulator
"I started my career in the public sector at the local level under Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The Bloomberg administration was pushing the envelope: the NYC DOT shut down Times Square to traffic and new bike lanes were transforming the public space. These shifts led me to believe that change was possible, that transportation services didn't need to run like they did 50 years ago."
"An influx in app-based transportation led to the realization—and I say this because at the time I was on the regulator side of things—that the government can't do it all. Even at the beginning of my career the thought was that the government is responsible for everything when it comes to transit. In the intervening decade, regulators themselves have started asking: 'why do tax dollars need to fund every single way to get from Point A to Point B?'"
On working together with regulators
"Working with regulators, helping them grow, shift, and change is helpful and doesn't have to be contentious because at the end of the day we all have the same goals. "
"Coming to the table knowing that government has a responsibility and that we have something we want to do has made things much easier, but not perfect. While it's not smooth sailing all the time, I can say from my experience with Revel that even when we are at odds with the city, we're still able to come together and reach a solution."
The rideshare of the next 10 years
"The goals of the dominant companies in the space are opposed to ours because they don't own vehicles. They're a platform, not a transportation operation company. So if you're Uber or Lyft your interest is to have as many vehicles on the road as possible so that customers get a ride in the fewest possible minutes. If you're a driver and you end up giving one ride a day, Uber or Lyft don't care because it's a service that keeps customers coming back, and they get a portion of that. We're here to disrupt that model."
"We all have to agree that in New York City there are too many cars on the road. A lot of this is because we have a lot of drivers trying to get fares and the business model of the independent contractor driving for platforms only incentivizes underutilized vehicles being on the road."
The state of the gig economy
"When it comes to employees, we first must acknowledge that there are plenty of people who are happy working gig economy jobs. They enjoy it, they're good at it, and it works for them. But for us since day one we've never used gig-economy workers even with our moped business. When you have real employees it's a different relationship to the company and to the service, so there's a different level of pride and accountability our employees take."
"It's irresponsible to throw a whole bunch of cars on the road when the interest of the entity controlling the platform isn't connected with the drivers making a living. This is why we see cities like New York where even though there is a cap on new vehicles, there are still thousands of licensed TLC drivers, and nobody is really making a great living."
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This article is based on Episode 7 of the Anything that Moves podcast. Check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Learn more about Maniv Mobility or get in touch at maniv.com
