Taxi drivers look to form a worker co-operative

19 May 2015

In the United States, 645 taxi drivers are on a mission to form a new taxi company that will be both owner-worked and unionised. Based in Denver, a number of these drivers work for Uber, the $40 billion business around a mobile-based application that connects drivers with riders. Workers at app-driven companies like Uber don’t have the rights of full employees but with the help of traditional unions, some are banding together into worker-owned cooperatives.

The new co-op, Green Taxi, will have a fleet of hybrid or high-efficiency vehicles, and will offer a ride-hailing app similar to Uber and with help from a local union are seeking ways for them to break into Denver’s heavily regulated taxi industry.

The partnership between the co-operative and the union could show one potential way forward for workers in the app-driven economy to set up worker co-operatives and ensure they have employee rights and a stable income.