Hundreds of Drivers and Riders to Participate in DC Civil Rights March
Washington, D.C. – Today at 4:30 PM, hundreds of Empower drivers and riders will gather at 400 Indiana Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., for a civil rights march to make clear to Mayor Bowser that it’s time for her to recognize that hard-working drivers, like all other service professionals in the District, have the right to work for themselves and run their own businesses.
Over the past few weeks, riders and drivers have sent over 10,000 emails, calls, and tweets to Mayor Bowser about the impact that any forced shutdown of Empower would have on their family finances. Mayor Bowser has been unresponsive to these efforts, continuing instead to prioritize her personal relationships with Uber executives over the needs of D.C. residents.
Empower CEO, Joshua Sear, shared, “D.C. Mayor, Muriel Bowser, and D.C. Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, at Uber’s urging, continue to do everything they can to shut down Empower. They’ve even threatened to throw me in jail for civil contempt for refusing to put thousands of hard-working drivers out of work and tens of thousands of their riders in economic harm’s way.”
Sear continued, “This is a fight for economic justice and civil rights. The Mayor is ignoring the voices of thousands of D.C. drivers and riders in an effort to protect Uber’s bottom line. We are marching to send a clear message: D.C. drivers deserve the right to work for themselves, and riders deserve access to affordable transportation.”
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 in exchange for software and support services that help them run their own businesses. With Empower, drivers are neither employees nor contractors; they’re customers. Under this model, drivers are making thousands of dollars more per month working for themselves than they make working for Uber, which only pays them about 50% of what riders pay Uber. Because drivers get 100% of the fare, they are able to charge riders about 20% less, on average, than Uber charges and still make considerably more money. As a result, riders who book rides through Empower are saving money on their rides. 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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