Electric taxi startup GoBlu lays down green challenge to Uber

Have you ever ordered an Uber Green only to be deeply disappointed when an exhaust spewing hybrid car turns up? As recent EU real-world data shows, hybrids (petrol or diesel cars disguised as EVs), actually emit almost four times more pollution than manufacturers claim. It makes it harder to accept Uber’s strategy of marketing hybrid fares as “Green”.

Enter Melbourne based all-electric taxi startup GoBlu.

“The concept of GoBlu emerged from the need to address common issues faced by thousands of Australians who rely on cabs or taxis daily,” says co-founder and CEO, Manish Wadhera.

“Frequent complaints include unhygienic vehicles, rude drivers, surge pricing during peak hours, random cancellations, and overall service unreliability. GoBlu effectively resolves all these concerns.”

Wadhera says the company which was founded in July 2023 is experiencing significant growth as Melbournians become aware of the service.

The company claims it has already completed over 3,000 zero-emission rides less than a year since. Unlike the Uber business model, the company owns or leases all of its vehicles. Currently that’s 10 EVs including Tesla Model 3s and BYD Atto 3s.

“One-third of our users have booked more than once, with growth driven primarily by organic referrals and performance marketing.” says Wadhera.

“We receive frequent inquiries about expanding to cities like Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. While currently operating only in Melbourne, we have plans to expand across Australia.”

“They should have some security” GoBlu drivers get paid a fixed weekly salary

The insecurity of work in the ride-share industry is a major problem for drivers who have their earnings squeezed by the tech giants. Wadhera says GoBlu decided to pay its drivers a fixed weekly salary to provide better security which he says improves the overall service.

“Our drivers don’t have to cancel the ride if they get a bigger ride. Because that’s not their worry, that’s totally on us as an organisation. So that’s where the zero cancellation policy comes in.”

“Drivers don’t have to worry about the number of rides which they have to do in a particular shift.”

GoBlu business model challenging the Uber “cloud fiefdom”

In his recently released book Technofeudalism, Yanis Varoufakis points out that ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft are actually like feudal lords which own the market and take rents from anyone who needs to access it. In the book Varoufakis presents an alternative ride-share cooperative model.

“Your coffee mug empty, it is time to go to work. You tap on your phone’s travel app, also provided by your municipality, and then tap again on ‘work’. A list appears of fares offered by various driver cooperatives, alongside information on where and when you can catch the nearest bus or train,” writes Varoufakis.

“You recall with a brief shudder the days of Uber and Lyft, those cloud fiefs that exploited drivers’ labour, turning them into cloud proles, and passengers’ data, turning you into a cloud serf.

“The bad memory dissipates when you remind yourself that, these days, driver-owners and the public transport staff control the algorithms – not the other way round.”

As the global ride-share feudal lord, Silicon Valley based Uber takes a 27.5% cut of all fares in Australia. This is a huge amount siphoned from drivers who lack the security of a full-time salary. This should begin to change as more people become aware of companies like GoBlu who offer customers genuine green transport as well as financial security for drivers.