One of the best parts about rideshare driving is the low barrier to entry, meaning people of any age, gender, race can sign up and drive for companies like Uber and Lyft. However, one pretty expensive barrier to entry can be the vehicle you drive for rideshare. Today, I’m talking to the CEO of Fair, Uber’s official vehicle partner to talk about what it’s like to supply cars to thousands of drivers.
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Intro
-
Today I’m chatting with Scott Painter, CEO of Fair, about the automotive side of the rideshare business
- Scott’s the perfect person to talk about this with, since he’s at the intersection of rideshare and the automotive industry
- Scott has founded three different automotive tech companies and will talk about where he sees the rideshare side of the business going in the future
- This episode is sponsored by Zum, a rideshare service for kids. Work on your own schedule and make up to $32/hr. Learn more about Zum and sign up here.
Interview with Scott Painter
- Founder and CEO of Fair
- Serial entrepreneur
- Seeks to solve problems, like car ownership, with technology
- When working on Fair, engineers and other employees were constantly trying to make the process ‘fair’, name stuck and became Fair
- Naming the company Fair set the tone for everything they did and continue to do
Fair
- Big idea is that people don’t have to borrow money to get access to mobility
- People are going into debt to buy cars, not great for depreciating assets
- People with low credit, no credit, etc. were getting penalized for it – with Fair, we’re letting you borrow a car (with stipulations) – anyone can get access to mobility
What About Autonomous Cars?
- Preposterous to say autonomy is going to change anything in the near term for Uber/Lyft
- Autonomy will come in waves – cars will get safer
- It’s great from a safety point of view, but Uber and Lyft will need human drivers for a very long time
- At the same time, people’s lives are changing – Fair doesn’t lock them into years-long terms, like car ownership once did
What Makes Fair Different
- Key is to not buy brand new cars and offer them to drivers – cars depreciate immediately when you drive them off the lot
- Get the right drivers behind the wheels of the right cars
- Manufacturers are taking in more lease returns than ever before – creates an oversupply situation and used car prices drop
- Drivers don’t have to worry about maintenance, but Fair does – Fair makes sure to get reliable cars with low mileage because they don’t want additional expenses either
Working with Rideshare Drivers & Uber
- Right now, more rideshare than the consumer side
- Trying to eliminate friction for drivers with the first week free program
- Rideshare drivers are committed to providing great service and solving problems
- It can be difficult making sure enough cars are available – demand from Uber drivers is huge
Outro
- Big thanks to Scott for coming on the podcast and sharing his knowledge on the automotive tech sector
- Big fan of Fair, and I hope you are after listening to this podcast – offers flexible rentals and leases
- Wanted to show you what it’s like for a company like Fair – drivers can have one perspective of it, but they don’t see everything that goes on behind the scenes, particularly the supply and demand of cars
- This episode is sponsored by Zum, a rideshare service for kids. Work on your own schedule and make up to $32/hr. Learn more about Zum and sign up here.
Show Notes
If you’d like to sign up with Fair, please use our affiliate links below
- CA drivers – click here to sign up using our link and get your first week free! You can learn more about the Uber Fair Rental California program here.
- Drivers in other state – click here to download the Fair App and get $100 off your Fair car rental enter code “RSG100” at checkout)
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
