Empower Sponsoring Civil Rights March and Rally at Freedom Plaza in Support of Driver and Rider Freedom
Washington, D.C. – Hundreds of riders and drivers are planning to march in support of driver civil rights at 11:30AM, today at Freedom Plaza.
Despite thousands of emails from riders and numerous requests for meetings from drivers, over the past six months, the DC Council has refused to even consider the Equal Opportunity and Empowerment Act (“EOEA”), which would protect the right of hard-working drivers to work for themselves, increase public safety, and ensure continued access to safe and affordable rides.
This past September, Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the committee that oversees the Department of For-Hire Vehicles (“DFHV”), canceled a public hearing because a record 1,300 people signed up to speak in support of driver equal rights. More recently, when asked about the EOEA, Nadeau told a group of over 100 drivers and riders who surprised her by attending her “office hours” at a Columbia Height’s pizza parlor, “I haven’t seen the legislation,” despite the fact that Empower and its representatives provided both her and her staff with multiple copies months ago.
Empower CEO, Joshua Sear, replied, “Councilmember Nadeau is either lying or has completely abdicated her responsibilities as chair of the committee that oversees the DFHV.”
In a rare moment of honesty, at the same event, Nadeau did admit that she has met with Uber’s high-paid lobbyists behind closed doors.
Sear continued, “Councilmember Nadeau continues to proudly support the illegal violation of the constitutional rights of hard-working professional drivers. And while drivers and riders will be marching and rallying in support of freedom and equality, she and her fellow councilmembers will be holding two public hearings. One on making it easier for Google to register and test autonomous vehicles in the District. The other, on giving over $500 million of DC taxpayer money to a billionaire sports team owner. DC councilmembers have clearly forgotten who they were elected by and who they represent. Their constituents intend to remind them later today.”
About Empower
Empower is disrupting companies like Uber with an innovative model: drivers set their own rates, keep 100% of the fare and pay the company a subscription fee. With Empower, drivers are neither employees nor contractors; they’re customers. Under this model, drivers are making thousands of dollars more per month than they do working for Uber, which only pays them about 50-60% of what riders pay the company.
Because drivers get 100% of the fare, they are able to charge riders 15-20% less, on average, than Uber charges and still make considerably more money. As a result, riders who book rides through Empower save money too. Riders can also request a same-gender or favorite driver, which many riders indicate provides them with a greater sense of safety.
To learn more about Empower visit www.driveempower.com
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