A project, but this one has traction and may well be a pivot:
Arcade City is a project based in the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Details from an interview with co-founder Christopher David:
* “CoinTelegraph: You were an Uber driver before. How does this system contrast with traditional ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft?
Christopher David: Imagine a decentralized Uber that connects drivers with customers peer-to-peer using the Ethereum blockchain. When we hit $2 billion in annual revenue, it won’t go to line the pockets of investors or sustain a corporate hierarchy. It will be reinvested in our drivers, and in improving the customer experience.
Driver engagement is key. Thanks to our Free Uber campaign, I got to connect and speak with Uber drivers all over the country. Dealing with government regulation is definitely an issue for drivers, but an even bigger issue has been drivers being mistreated by the distant corporate HQ. I’ve been a driver myself, working sometimes 50 hours per week. I’ve been to the meetings. I’ve seen firsthand how drivers are treated and how feedback is ignored.
Uber and Lyft are run by nerds in San Francisco. To them, drivers are just numbers. The fares that determine drivers’ livelihood are just levers to push and pull to maximize profit. The driver uproar and mass protests following last week’s rate decrease tells me this is the perfect time to launch a decentralized alternative.
Arcade City is beginning with a grand conversation with drivers. Our question: If you had to design a ride-sharing app that best met the needs of riders and drivers, what would it include? The amazing ideas contributed just this week will keep us busy for years.
* CT: How about newer ride-sharing platforms such as La’Zooz?
CD: La’Zooz ran a great experiment with their proof-of-movement token, and we will look at integrating similar ideas down the road. We are in touch with their team and expect to work together with them moving forward.
But our approach to the critical mass problem is a bit different. We are taking a hybrid approach, combining distributed dynamics with the type of service people expect today of a company like Uber. The objective is total decentralization on the blockchain, but we are starting with an emphasis on driver engagement and integrating driver feedback.
There are countless thousands of angry Uber and Lyft drivers looking for an alternative. We’ll start by building what they want, then move in the direction that we know will maximally benefit both drivers and customers over the long term: decentralization on the blockchain.”