RSG Recommended Reading

Interested in reading up on all the best books related to rideshare, transportation and mobility? Check out the recommended rideshare reading below.

  1. The Rideshare Guide by Harry Campbell
  2. The Upstarts by Brad Stone
  3. Wild Ride: Inside Uber’s Quest for World Domination by Adam Lashinsky
  4. Uberland: How Algorithms are Rewriting the Rules of Work by Alex Rosenblat
  5. Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work by Sarah Kessler
  6. Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives by Jarrett Walker
  7. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau
  8. The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics by Bradley Tusk

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Recommended For Rideshare

1) The Rideshare Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Driving for Uber, Lyft, and Other Companies by Harry Campbell

Ok obviously I’ve got to list my book first! But it was a lot of work and I am proud of it – the book is the ultimate guide for rideshare drivers or anyone thinking of becoming a driver. This book gives you insight into what Uber and Lyft are like, what tools and gadgets drivers should have before getting started and how to navigate the world of rideshare driving.

This book can act as a handbook for everything the rideshare driver may need to know throughout their driving experiences. It can be handy for filing your taxes, deciding between driving for Uber or Lyft (or utilizing both), how to maximize your profits on the road and more. As an added bonus, it even includes tales from the road, which as you can imagine can get pretty wild and crazy.

You can find this book at the retailers below:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE | IBOOKS |

Bonus! Get your first chapter of The Rideshare Guide free here.

Recommended For Rideshare

2) The Upstarts by Brad Stone

The world we live in today is vastly different in many ways from the world of just 10 years ago. We regularly, willingly climb into a stranger’s cars, sleep in a stranger’s home and think nothing of it. It used to be that those things were taboo because of the dangers it posed. You never know what could happen. But now, it’s becoming the norm.

This book gives us a look at how our world is evolving thanks to the companies that have normalized this kind of behavior and these practices that we don’t even think twice about. Brad Stone showcases how this all started and what changes allowed for this difference in behavior.

Our review: Brad Stone was able to get interviews with the CEOs of Uber and Airbnb at the time as well as business colleagues and family members, which added more depth to the book.

It also may be surprising that there are parallels between Uber and Airbnb that this book draws out beautifully. Though the end result of what the two companies provide are definitely different, the issues they had in getting there were very similar. This book shows the different approaches they took to solve their problems.

It also showcases what Uber was like in the early days, which is a bit of a mystery to us all now, years after it’s become mainstream.

Also it shows the battles that Uber and Airbnb faced in their early days when it came to regulations. Cities had never had to deal with this kind of thing before. It was easy to point fingers at Airbnb when housing prices skyrocketed because it was something new that had a correlation without being able to prove causation. It’s easy for lawmakers to find a scapegoat out of new companies like these with big ideas that have never been tried before.

Overall, this book was well researched and a compelling read. If you are interested in learning the background of these two companies and how they got to where they are now, this is definitely a must-read.

Read our full The Upstarts Review here.

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Recommended For Rideshare

3) Wild Ride: Inside Uber’s Quest for World Domination by Adam Lashinsky

World domination is always an intriguing concept. Wild Ride dives into the inside scoop of Uber including its beginnings and what needed to happen to get to where it is now — which has definitely been a wild ride.

In his book, Adam Lashinsky interviews Kalanick, Uber’s former CEO, and several other sources to share details never seen before about Uber’s internal and external troubles while starting up and running this global phenomenon.

Our review: This book is a page-turner as well as relevant to our lives as rideshare drivers (or anyone who’s interested in how Uber came to be the massive company it is today). It delves into the complexities of Uber from the improbable early years to the technological wheelhouse it is now.

Adam Lashinsky doesn’t shy away from fiascos and issues that Uber has faced over the years. He faces them dead on and addresses them for what they are while also giving us a meaningful glimpse into the inside of Uber including a look at the pitch Uber used to bring investors into the fray.

Truly with this book, the title says it all. Uber is dominating the world and it has been a truly wild ride along the way — and the end is not in sight.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Adam Lashinsky here.

Read our full Wild Ride review here.

Recommended For Rideshare

4) Uberland: How Algorithms are Rewriting the Rules of Work by Alex Rosenblat

Uber stands out as a leader in technology and transforming the way we work and live. Uberland is all about how Uber and algorithms are changing the concept of what work is. It showcases stories from Uber drivers from all over the US and Canada over a 4-year time period. It shows everything from what drivers’ working conditions have been to how a startup turned into a billion-dollar company.

It’s more than just what you hear about Uber online and in the news. It’s Alex Rosenblat talking directly with drivers, senior Uber employees and others to create a comprehensive look at this new sense of work.

Our review: With it taking the author four years of talking with drivers and compiling information, this book does a thorough job of tackling Uber and all it means for drivers. She spent nearly 4 years riding in cars asking questions about Uber.

The book breaks down what this service has meant for people who had no other way of making money. But it’s not all sunshine and daisies. It also dives into algorithmic exploitation — even showing screenshots of texts and emails from Uber that shows the company manipulating drivers and sometimes cheating them out of fares or fees that they are owed.

It looks at the cold reality of the dehumanizing effects of the structure that is Uber. Where drivers get texts or emails being told what to do and what not to do (accept all service animals or be deactivated, for example).

So, if you’re looking for a fascinating read with actual driver experiences to back up the claims, this is a book for you.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Alex Rosenblat here.

Recommended For The Gig Economy

5) Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work by Sarah Kessler

The “gig” economy is still on the rise and people are trying to figure out how they fit into it. When one in three American workers are freelancers, what does the future of work look like? Sarah Kessler dug into what the gig economy is and how it affects business and the future of work.

It’s becoming a world without bosses, where you are your own boss and you make your own hours and find the work you love.

The author interviews workers in all aspects of the gig economy to see how their day functions, what makes it appealing to them and what makes this new economy thrive.

Our review: Sarah Kessler uses stories from actual people embracing the gig economy as well as court verdicts and facts about this new world to create a book that is compelling and gets to the root of what the gig economy looks like.

It shows the impact this new economy has on the people who are out there taking advantage of it — we see the upsides and downsides. She tackles the questions “What does the future of work look like?”, “Will the Millennial generation do as well as their parents?” and “How can we all find meaningful, well-paid work?”

It’s a great book to read for those who are interested to see how they might fit into the gig economy and the ups and downs of what that looks like.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Sarah Kessler here.

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Recommended For Transportation

6) Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives by Jarrett Walker

What makes a successful transit system? How does technology fit in? These are some of the questions that are addressed in Jarrett Walker’s book. Transit is used for shuttling people to and from their jobs on a daily basis, as a way for people to easily go to the store if they don’t have a vehicle, and even as a tool to visit cities.

This book helps show that there’s a geometry equation to figuring out what makes a good transit system and how technology can work with transit to make it even easier for its commuters.

Our review: This book focuses on transit as it is in the Western, developed world and delves deeply into the author’s insight on how good transit systems fit into our everyday lives. It’s geared toward people who want to know more about the transit system and what makes it tick. The book also focuses on transit development and what can be done to help encourage this development to enrich communities.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Jarrett Walker here.

Recommended For Entrepreneurship

7) Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau

Brief summary: Living your life the way you want while having the security of a full-time job is where the side hustle comes into play. Chris Gullibeau, having started over a dozen side hustles, wrote this book about how to come up with something you’d either enjoy doing or would be willing to do to earn extra income while still keeping your full-time job.

He takes you on a 27-day journey to show you what you need to execute and by when to achieve your goals in the form of a side hustle to give you a better sense of security in your financial life.

Our review: This book makes you think about your future and if you’re in a good place financially right now. If you were to lose your job tomorrow, what would that look like for you? Do you have something to fall back on? Do you have another source of income that can help offset the loss of a full-time position?

If the answer is no, you’ll want to read this book to find out how you can better secure your financial future by finding your ideal side hustle — or hustles as the case may be. It takes you through the step by step process you need to know in order to start a side gig and benefit from your own success.

No one is irreplaceable at their job. Someone can always come in after you’re gone and pick up from where you left off, no matter who you are and what you do. Creating a side hustle or two can help if the situation were ever to arise where you are left high and dry by your full-time position.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Chris Guillebeau here.

Recommended For Startups

8) The Fixer: My Adventures Saving Startups from Death by Politics by Bradley Tusk

Bradley Tusk takes his knowledge from working with political and business leaders to help startups when they get hung up in political issues. It was due to his influence that taxi companies didn’t stop Uber before it could get off the ground, for one thing, and helped numerous other startups avoid political and regulatory battles.

Our review: Everyday people have given this book pretty favorable reviews, calling it a page-turner and a great book. It’s something that shows off the author’s political career and what strategies he’s used to help all those startups that are popping up all over the U.S.

It’s filled with anecdotes to draw the reader in while also informing the reader about the do’s and don’ts of tackling legal and regulatory issues that startups face constantly.

This book would be great for anyone who is considering building a startup, people with political and/or business backgrounds and those who are just curious about what issues startups face.

Bonus! Listen to my interview with Bradley Tusk here.

Get your first audiobook FREE when you sign up with a 30 day trial of Audible! Sign up with Audible using our link to receive your first audiobook free here.