The cover of an informational pamphlet for the ride-hailing project

Problem

Current ride-hailing businesses exploit their workers, do not promote the safety of both drivers and riders, and are not held accountable for their unethical business practices.

Solution

A community-owned and governed ride-hailing platform.

Reasoning

A community-owned platform creates employment opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Our Contributions

The working group included two representatives from Vancity Credit Union and Modo Co-operative, two co-op developers, and our co-operative. Our contributions were:

Technology Consulting

We identified necessary features and the ideal platform design. We then researched potential software providers, assessing the quality of the features offered for the platform.

Branding and Design

We created promotional materials such as pamphlets and photography, and the design of the website.

The inside of an informational pamphlet for the ride-hailing project

Community Assessment

We found that these ride-hailing services thrived when supported by a community. We brought out representatives from 14 organizations to find out how to best serve their needs. Common themes found were safety, psychological and physiological accessibility, local community resilience, and critical conversations around the gig economy.

We identified an opportunity area in the ride-hailing service that focuses on worker-ownership, accessibility and safety for both driver and passenger. Such as providing wheelchair-ready vehicles, senior support staff, and a living-wage compensation.


Partners