[Editor's Note: We will watch how this story continues to develop. If this app has widespread adoption among Uber and Lyft drivers it could be troublesome for the 'For Hire' industry.]
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Non-employees, meet your co-workers.
By Sarah Kessler
Drivers for on-demand services like Uber and Lyft have no easy way to find their coworkers, but a new app called Pulse aims to change that.
The app is a forum for on-demand drivers who want to talk with other nearby on-demand drivers. Some drivers on the app have used it to talk shop: "Anyone else noticed the surge is not going above 2.9 in Charlotte," asked one driver. Others have asked for advice: "So I have a question as a new driver on the road," one driver wrote. "How can I use Google maps while hearing the navigation voice?" Or warned other drivers about traffic: "Be advised," reads one post, "Fire department activity on West 47th street."
Uber and Lyft drivers aren't staff employees, so training their drivers or providing them with too much guidance about how to do their jobs could suggest the companies have misclassified them as independent contractors. The companies also don’t include features that allow drivers to communicate with each other, so there’s not an easy way for them to learn from their peers. Pulse bridges both gaps.
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