Latest news with #GigU
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rideshare drivers use apps to help them judge whether a ride is worth it. Uber and Lyft are trying to kill some of them.
Some rideshare drivers use apps like Mystro and GigU to analyze prospective rides. The apps can use a phone's accessibility features to read the screen and overlay a widget to guide drivers. Uber and Lyft have tried to stop them, according to the apps' founders. As gig workers' incomes have dropped, some Uber and Lyft drivers are turning to apps like GigU, Maxymo, and Mystro to help them work smarter — and dodge the lowest-paying rides. "They weed out the garbage offers that they're sending you," said Sergio Avedian, a driver and senior contributor to the Rideshare Guy, a gig driver advocacy blog and YouTube channel. "The cherry-pickers always make more money." Some of the apps have recently encountered roadblocks in the form of rideshare giants Uber and Lyft, which argue that using the third-party apps runs afoul of their terms of service. Doug Feigelson, the CEO of Mystro, told Business Insider that Uber has sent letters accusing his company of violating its terms of service and interfering with its relationships with drivers. "We think we're aligned with at least their publicly stated values," Feigelson said, adding that he believes his app promotes driver safety by keeping drivers' eyes on the road. He said he hopes the companies can reach a deal. "But we certainly are worried, especially with Uber's cease-and-desist letters, that they might sue us." An Uber representative said they wouldn't talk about any specific app, but said "using third-party tools to bypass the system breaks our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. It hurts riders, other drivers, and the trust that keeps Uber running." The apps often use an Android phone's accessibility features to read the screen and overlay a widget to guide the driver. Feigelson said Mystro uses ride and delivery apps' application programming interfaces, or APIs, so that drivers can automatically accept and reject offers based on criteria they select, such as the ride's per-mile revenue. They aren't free, but they say drivers can increase their earnings by more than what the tools cost, which ranges from $5 to $19 a month. Some drivers have previously told BI that they can make more money if they're pickier about the rides they accept, though for Uber drivers, declining rides based on destinations can put their accounts at risk. Once upon a time, Uber was seen as a technological disruptor, upsetting incumbent taxi companies and bucking outdated local rules on ride services. The company even had a project called Greyball that it used for years to serve up a fake version of the app to regulators. Now, it's the one cracking down. GigU, which launched in the United States in May, was sued by Uber in Brazil, where it says its app has been downloaded a half-million times. GigU says it has come out ahead, although Uber has said the legal process is ongoinGigUigU also said it has filed an antitrust complaint against Uber with CADE, a Brazilian regulator. Uber said its driver app is transparent about where demand is high and where a particular ride would go and how much a driver would make from it. Transferring credentials violates its terms of service, the representative said. "Using automation tools, apps, or bots to manipulate the Uber app or access Uber data in any way isn't allowed." Luiz Gustavo Neves, GigU's CEO and cofounder, also told BI that some of its US users recently got an email from Lyft. The message told gig workers that Lyft had "identified unusual behavior associated with your driver account" and that third-party apps, of which GigU is one, "are not secure and not allowed." While the message didn't specifically name GigU or any other apps, Lyft's message made the risks to drivers clear: "Your account may be at risk of deactivation." Since Lyft sent out the message, GigU and Mystro have both sought to argue that using the apps doesn't put drivers' access to Lyft at risk. GigU has published a blog post on its website and answered users' questions on Reddit, Neves said. GigU isn't violating Lyft's terms of service, Neves believes. A Lyft spokesperson said the group isn't against all third-party apps and says it hasn't disabled any driver accounts for using them. It said that some of the apps cross lines, though it didn't name any. "Unauthorized apps can harm the user experience and create an unfair marketplace for our drivers, for example by enabling automatic ride cancellations, delaying response times, and disadvantaging those who follow the rules," the spokesperson wrote in an email. Most ride-hailing and delivery drivers still don't use third-party apps to screen their ride and delivery offers. The UberEatsDrivers forum on Reddit, which is run by drivers and has 76,000 members, says it will ban users who discuss what it calls "cheating apps." The rule singles out Para, which shut down last year, according to Reddit posts by its users. Minsu Longiaru, an attorney with the worker advocacy group PowerSwitch Action, said it's unsurprising that ride-hailing drivers would turn to third-party apps in hopes of getting an edge. She said her group's recent survey of Uber drivers showed that most of them felt "squeezed and manipulated" by the app and said they often earned less than they expected because offers seemed to get worse as they approached their goals. "We think that it's fair that drivers should be able to use tools that they have at their disposal to try and make a fair and decent wage," she said. "At the same time, these third-party tools are not a substitute for real protection." This past fall, Lyft executive Jeremy Byrd said it has made its app more transparent for drivers. Some drivers and the teams behind the apps are skeptical of the gig apps' claims to be acting in drivers' interests. "They probably would love it if drivers only worked for their app and if they offered lowball fares and drivers would accept them," Feigelson said. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Rideshare drivers use apps to help them judge whether a ride is worth it. Uber and Lyft are trying to kill some of them.
As gig workers' incomes have dropped, some Uber and Lyft drivers are turning to apps like GigU, Maxymo, and Mystro to help them work smarter — and dodge the lowest-paying rides. "They weed out the garbage offers that they're sending you," said Sergio Avedian, a driver and senior contributor to the Rideshare Guy, a gig driver advocacy blog and YouTube channel. "The cherry-pickers always make more money." Some of the apps have recently encountered roadblocks in the form of rideshare giants Uber and Lyft, which argue that using the third-party apps runs afoul of their terms of service. Doug Feigelson, the CEO of Mystro, told Business Insider that Uber has sent letters accusing his company of violating its terms of service and interfering with its relationships with drivers. "We think we're aligned with at least their publicly stated values," Feigelson said, adding that he believes his app promotes driver safety by keeping drivers' eyes on the road. He said he hopes the companies can reach a deal. "But we certainly are worried, especially with Uber's cease-and-desist letters, that they might sue us." An Uber representative said they wouldn't talk about any specific app, but said "using third-party tools to bypass the system breaks our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. It hurts riders, other drivers, and the trust that keeps Uber running." The apps often use an Android phone's accessibility features to read the screen and overlay a widget to guide the driver. Feigelson said Mystro uses ride and delivery apps' application programming interfaces, or APIs, so that drivers can automatically accept and reject offers based on criteria they select, such as the ride's per-mile revenue. They aren't free, but they say drivers can increase their earnings by more than what the tools cost, which ranges from $5 to $19 a month. Some drivers have previously told BI that they can make more money if they're pickier about the rides they accept, though for Uber drivers, declining rides based on destinations can put their accounts at risk. Once upon a time, Uber was seen as a technological disruptor, upsetting incumbent taxi companies and bucking outdated local rules on ride services. The company even had a project called Greyball that it used for years to serve up a fake version of the app to regulators. Now, it's the one cracking down. GigU, which launched in the United States in May, was sued by Uber in Brazil, where it says its app has been downloaded a half-million times. GigU says it has come out ahead, although Uber has said the legal process is ongoinGigUigU also said it has filed an antitrust complaint against Uber with CADE, a Brazilian regulator. Uber said its driver app is transparent about where demand is high and where a particular ride would go and how much a driver would make from it. Transferring credentials violates its terms of service, the representative said. "Using automation tools, apps, or bots to manipulate the Uber app or access Uber data in any way isn't allowed." Luiz Gustavo Neves, GigU's CEO and cofounder, also told BI that some of its US users recently got an email from Lyft. The message told gig workers that Lyft had "identified unusual behavior associated with your driver account" and that third-party apps, of which GigU is one, "are not secure and not allowed." While the message didn't specifically name GigU or any other apps, Lyft's message made the risks to drivers clear: "Your account may be at risk of deactivation." Since Lyft sent out the message, GigU and Mystro have both sought to argue that using the apps doesn't put drivers' access to Lyft at risk. GigU has published a blog post on its website and answered users' questions on Reddit, Neves said. GigU isn't violating Lyft's terms of service, Neves believes. A Lyft spokesperson said the group isn't against all third-party apps and says it hasn't disabled any driver accounts for using them. It said that some of the apps cross lines, though it didn't name any. "Unauthorized apps can harm the user experience and create an unfair marketplace for our drivers, for example by enabling automatic ride cancellations, delaying response times, and disadvantaging those who follow the rules," the spokesperson wrote in an email. Most ride-hailing and delivery drivers still don't use third-party apps to screen their ride and delivery offers. The UberEatsDrivers forum on Reddit, which is run by drivers and has 76,000 members, says it will ban users who discuss what it calls "cheating apps." The rule singles out Para, which shut down last year, according to Reddit posts by its users. Minsu Longiaru, an attorney with the worker advocacy group PowerSwitch Action, said it's unsurprising that ride-hailing drivers would turn to third-party apps in hopes of getting an edge. She said her group's recent survey of Uber drivers showed that most of them felt "squeezed and manipulated" by the app and said they often earned less than they expected because offers seemed to get worse as they approached their goals. "We think that it's fair that drivers should be able to use tools that they have at their disposal to try and make a fair and decent wage," she said. "At the same time, these third-party tools are not a substitute for real protection." This past fall, Lyft executive Jeremy Byrd said it has made its app more transparent for drivers. Some drivers and the teams behind the apps are skeptical of the gig apps' claims to be acting in drivers' interests. "They probably would love it if drivers only worked for their app and if they offered lowball fares and drivers would accept them," Feigelson said.
Business Insider
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
An app that says it can help Uber drivers pick profitable rides has arrived in the US. Uber has fought against it before.
An app launching in the US on Wednesday has drawn ire from Uber in the past after helping gig workers answer a key question: Which rides and deliveries make the most financial sense to take? GigU uses information that independent contractors see on-screen when they are offered a gig to calculate an estimate of how much the worker will earn per mile and at an hourly rate. The feature, which GigU calls the "cherry picker," is designed to help drivers and delivery workers accept or reject a job within the seconds-long window that most apps give them, its founders say. The app works with only Android phones for now. "They tend to accept it all," Luiz Gustavo Neves, GigU's CEO and co-founder, said in an interview with Business Insider. Factors like the rising cost of car maintenance mean that gig workers "need to be more alert to which rides are profitable and which ones are not," he added. GigU is one of multiple third-party apps that say they give gig workers more information — and potentially help them earn more. Many gig workers saw their earnings on apps like Uber and Instacart fall in 2024 despite spending a similar or greater amount of time on the platforms, a study by data analytics company Gridwise earlier this year found. In GigU, users can set specific ranges for pay and, for ride-hailing gigs, passenger ratings. Based on those settings, GigU assigns a color to orders or rides as they pop up on screen: Green for a job that would be the most lucrative for the driver, yellow for options with earnings that mostly fall between the ranges that users set, and red for a job that doesn't meet their goals. The concern of declining pay was one reason that Neves and Pedro Inada, GigU's other co-founder, started creating businesses catered to gig workers. Inada and Neves founded StopClub in Brazil as a pit-stop where gig workers in Brazil could get a bite to eat and have their car cleaned, they said in an interview with the pandemic started, they launched an app for workers who couldn't gather in person. In 2023, they added a forerunner of the cherry picker function that GigU offers. The idea came from one of the app's users, Inada said. "He said, look, we really have to select the rides," Inada said. "Driver pay hasn't gone up. Inflation is up. Could you guys build something that would help us choose the best offers?" GigU said it has raised about $5 million in seed funding, part of which will bankroll its US expansion. GigU says that its app can analyze information from multiple gig-work apps, including Uber, Uber Eats, Lyft, and DoorDash. However, GigU doesn't have relationships with those companies, and the cofounders ended up in a legal battle with Uber in 2023 over the similar feature in StopClub's app in Brazil. Uber Brazil said that the app violated local copyright and competition laws and illegally obtained and stored confidential data from the Uber app, tech news site Rest of World reported at the time. A court in Brazil decided in favor of GigU and allowed the app to stand. An Uber spokesperson said that "using automation tools, apps, or bots to manipulate the Uber app or access Uber data in any way isn't allowed" per its community guidelines and terms of service. Uber is still "engaged on the legal front in Brazil" with GigU and StopClub, the spokesperson added. DoorDash and Lyft did not respond to requests for comment from BI. GigU's founders say that their app merely takes information that the gig worker already sees and presents it in a more analytical context. From there, it's up to the gig worker to make a choice, they said. The app doesn't accept jobs on behalf of the workers or spoof their GPS location, Neves added. Other third-party apps, known among gig workers as " bots," are capable of those kinds of tasks. "We had users asking us to do that kind of stuff as well," Neves said. "We said, no, we're not going to do that, because that is wrong." "We just give them transparency," he added. Having that transparency can make a difference for gig workers served a trip or order while in the middle of completing one, said Len Sherman, an executive in residence and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. For the gig worker, "it's system overload," Sherman told BI in an interview. "He's still got a passenger, he's trying to figure out how to finish the trip, something pings up, it's a distraction," he said. "By and large, they're accepting these trips, which is why Uber can keep the price down." Do you have a story to share about gig work? Contact this reporter at abitter@ or 808-854-4501.
