Fare Co-op’s Chairman, The Rideshare Professor, Leads a Viral Global Uber Strike Revolution

In an unprecedented move, Torsten Kunert, AKA The Rideshare Professor and the visionary Chairman of Fare Co-op/Local Driver Co-op (www.fare.coop), catalyzed a global movement by calling for a Valentine’s Day strike against Uber/UberEats, Lyft, Doordash and Grubhub. This bold action aims to spotlight the systemic injustices faced by gig workers, rallying drivers across North America, the UK, and beyond to stand in solidarity. The strike, set for February 14, 2024, has captured the world’s attention, uniting gig workers in a powerful demonstration of unity.

Torsten Kunert’s advocacy for gig workers has been instrumental in empowering over a million drivers through his influential channel. His visionary leadership led to him co-founding Local Driver Co-op in 2019, a pioneering multi-stakeholder federated cooperative that ensures drivers receive 50% equity, thus having a significant say in the organization. This model mirrors the successful structure implemented by VISA in 1967, which culminated in the largest IPO in history during the 2008 economic crisis.

This global strike initiative, conceptualized and orchestrated by Kunert, has been a culmination of his extensive organizing experience. By reaching out to gig organizations, unions worldwide, and leveraging social media platforms, the movement has gone viral, sending shockwaves through the industry and adversely impacting Uber’s stock price.

“I’m thrilled by the viral spread of our cause and the collective strength shown by our community. Figures like Edward Escobar, Sergio Avedian, Jeff Watts, and Rideshare Trixter have been instrumental in this journey. The impact on Uber’s valuation sends a clear message to investors: the era of exploiting gig workers is over. This is just the start. Had we anticipated the magnitude of support, Fare Co-op’s soft launch would have been even more ambitious,” stated Kunert.

Fare Co-op emerges as a game-changer, offering riders a 20% savings compared to Uber/Lyft while ensuring drivers receive a fair 90% share of earnings. FareEats, its subsidiary, revolutionizes food delivery by only charging a minimal 5% fee to restaurants, significantly lower than the industry standard. Once Fare Co-op completes its soft launch and testing, it will be fully launching in the near future.

“It’s been an honor following Torsten’s leadership at Fare Co-op/Local Driver Co-op. Our significantly lower pricing, without repeating incumbents’ costly mistakes, ensures we’re unmatched in both price and service quality. In Canada, our proof of concept saw zero issues, thanks to restaurants benefiting from discounted rates and drivers being platform owners. By capturing market share and valuing our drivers’ equity, we’ll finance driverless vehicles on behalf of the drivers, securing their future unlike the incumbents who are ready to kick them to the curb with driverless vehicles, as they have already begun to do in California, and many other regions, to increase their bottom line,” said Ahmed Attia, CEO of Local Driver Tech Inc. and President of Fare Co-op/Local Driver Co-op.

This global strike marks a pivotal moment in the gig economy, challenging the status quo and paving the way for a fairer, more inclusive future for all gig workers.