The city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire passed an ordinance regulating ride-sharing services that took effect in September of 2015. The ordinance made driving with Uber and other ride-sharing companies illegal within the city limits. Christopher David, a former Uber driver, launched the Free Uber campaign using Bitcoin prize pools to incentivize activism protesting the ordinance.
Now, in the wake of protests by Uber drivers over the company’s decision to cut fares, David is launching his own blockchain-based ride-sharing platform, Arcade City. To promote the new platform, he and nine other drivers gave 100 rides on New Year’s Eve on a donation-only basis.
CoinTelegraph spoke to David about Arcade City.
CoinTelegraph: You were an Uber driver before. How does this system contrast with traditional ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft?
Christopher David: Imagine a decentralized Uber that connects drivers with customers peer-to-peer using the Ethereum blockchain. When we hit $2 billion in annual revenue, it won’t go to line the pockets of investors or sustain a corporate hierarchy. It will be reinvested in our drivers, and in improving the customer experience.
Driver engagement is key. Thanks to our Free Uber campaign, I got to connect and speak with Uber drivers all over the country. Dealing with government regulation is definitely an issue for drivers, but an even bigger issue has been drivers being mistreated by the distant corporate HQ. I’ve been a driver myself, working sometimes 50 hours per week. I’ve been to the meetings. I've seen firsthand how drivers are treated and how feedback is ignored.
Uber and Lyft are run by nerds in San Francisco. To them, drivers are just numbers. The fares that determine drivers' livelihood are just levers to push and pull to maximize profit. The driver uproar and mass protests following last week’s rate decrease tells me this is the perfect time to launch a decentralized alternative.
Arcade City is beginning with a grand conversation with drivers. Our question: If you had to design a ride-sharing app that best met the needs of riders and drivers, what would it include? The amazing ideas contributed just this week will keep us busy for years.