⚡Revel Hires 1,000th NYC W2 Driver & Adds Kia Niro To All-EV Fleet
⚡Revel Hires 1,000th NYC W2 Driver & Adds Kia Niro To All-EV Fleet
Revel announced it's hired its 1,000th NYC TLC employee-driver and plans to add 800 more by the end of 2023!
Self-described “anti-gig” NYC EV-only ridehailing company, Revel, announced its 1,000th NYC W2 employee-driver hire
Revel plans to increase driver workforce to over 1,800 W2 employee-drivers by year end
Given Uber NYC has stopped onboarding new drivers, Revel is also likely attracting newly licensed TLC drivers
…or those deactivated from Uber / Lyft / looking for an alternative to yellow cabs
Revel also added first non-Tesla model to fleet, the Kia Niro
While still too early to conclude exact allocation, Revel’s newly won TLC Plates are just becoming active
15 Kia Niros belonging to new Revel entity and associated with Revel’s base, passed TLC inspections last week
Revel, the all-EV ridehailing company whose baby blue vehicles have now become part of NYC streetscape, announced that it had hired its 1,000th NYC W2 employee-driver⚡. The Company said it aims to hire 800 more (!) W2 employee-drivers in New York City. The all-EV ground transportation pioneer also added a new non-Tesla EV model to its fleet - the 2023 Kia Niro.
Past Criticism
With the recent release of 1,000 *NEW* EV-only FHV licenses (TLC Plates), Revel has also been able to expand its fleet by accessing these *NEW* TLC Plates. The yellow taxi medallion industry, as well as many drivers stuck in leasing arrangements, have expressed their displeasure with Revel’s ability to expand via accessing *NEW* for-hire vehicle licenses.
We’ve covered this topic recently, taking a more nuanced view. Revel is undoubtedly growing by accessing new TLC Plates, but also investing tens of millions of dollars in charging infrastructure. In addition, it also seems to be partnering with (or buying 🤷♀️) other leasing companies to expand (i.e., existing TLC-plated vehicles). These expensive capital intensive investments need to be uniquely considered, especially given the City’s electrification goals. In other words, “don’t hate the player, hate the game” 🏀.
That being said, both the game (i.e., NYC TLC, City Council, many New Yorkers believe accelerated EV adoption needs to happen due to environmental considerations) and player (i.e., Revel) should be open to answering fair questions that many TLC drivers & other industry participants have. In all seriousness, the subject of EV adoption and the climate are very serious & legitimate, but how to drive adoption sustainably is perhaps a much more nuanced subject than many appreciate.
1,000 *NEW* TLC Plate Allocation
“Anyone who knows NYC Open Data, knows that the ultimate EV allocation ownership data will be public knowledge in just a few months, so an exact truth will be revealed soon.”
While all 1,000 *NEW* EV-Only TLC Plated vehicles have not gone active yet (i.e., pass a TLC inspection that’s renewed every 2 years), a new Revel entity, REVEL FLEET CORP IV, has recently begun passing TLC inspections with new vehicles. In fact, all of them seem to be 2023 Kia Niros. Historically, Revel-owned vehicles belonged to the entity, REVEL TRANSIT INC. If our readers remember, at the time of the original *NEW* EV-only TLC Plate allocation announcement, the regulator said businesses would be limited to 25 TLC Plates by EIN (i.e., business tax ID).
Did Revel, intelligently NOT illegally, just create new business entities allowing it to claim more than 25 TLC Plates for its business? Right now, it seems to be only 15, so we’ll see…
Uber NYC Driver Hiring Freeze
We’ve written previously that based on our experience and knowledge, most NYC TLC drivers want to be independent contractors (i.e., 1099). In fact, we believe most is actually the vast majority.
“Contrary to perhaps some out-of-touch media narratives, most NYC TLC drivers prefer the independent contractor model. What many drivers want though are increased protections (i.e., minimum pay laws, ability to appeal App decisions, clarity on payment breakdowns) and access to benefits (i.e., healthcare). For example, Uber and Lyft’s duopolistic NYC market shares (i.e., an Uber and Lyft deactivation will essentially kick someone out of the TLC industry) is more concerning to drivers than being classified as independent contractors. While I wish Revel well and think their entry is a net positive for the industry, I don’t see a W2 model working with the vast majority of drivers. Separately, I think it will be very hard to take away share from Uber and Lyft’s customer and driver base. Happy to be proven wrong though.”
One thing we didn’t account for two years ago is if Uber (or Lyft) NYC stopped hiring new drivers, a competitor could attract drivers 🤔. However, what sort of drivers? Our guess is new NYC TLC drivers that can’t access Uber, drivers who’ve been deactivated (fairly and unfairly) from Uber/Lyft or drivers looking for an alternative to yellow cabs.
Revel, to their credit, may have predicted this and they deserve full credit for the foresight. Obviously, it’s also worth mentioning that Revel is either burning investor cash in a way that grows trip demand (Uber / Lyft playbook from a different zero interest rate era) or driving more passenger trips sustainably, to keep their growing W2 employee-driver base busy.
However, we still think Revel should not draw the wrong conclusion from an increasing number of drivers joining them. In our view, more drivers are joining Revel IN SPITE OF their W2 employee-driver model. However, we’ll repeat what we said two years ago - happy to be proven wrong.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Official Revel Press Release | For more information contact press@gorevel.com
Revel Hires 1,000th W2 Driver for EV Rideshare Service, to Nearly Double by End of Year
Revel drivers have guaranteed hourly wages and access to benefits like healthcare, PTO and 401(k)
Revel offering limited-time $500 sign-on bonus for full-time drivers
Brooklyn, New York — Revel, the Brooklyn-based electric mobility and infrastructure company, announced today that it has hired over 1,000 New Yorkers as W2 employee drivers operating its all-electric rideshare service. Revel drivers have guaranteed hourly wages, keep 100 percent of their tips and can access benefits like healthcare, paid time off and 401(k) retirement planning. Revel plans to nearly double its driver workforce to over 1,800 W2 employee drivers by the end of this year.
“Since day-one, Revel has operated with the belief that respecting drivers’ labor with fair and living wages, real flexibility and choice, and the dignity that comes with being a full member of the Revel team is the best way to grow this business. This milestone is proof we’ve been right,” said Keith Williams, Revel’s Vice President of Rideshare Operations. “The Adams Administration has rightly committed to electrifying New York’s rideshare industry by 2030. Revel wants to make that an opportunity, not an obstacle, for the workers at the foundation of the new green rideshare economy.”
“With Revel you know how much money you are going to make at the end of the week and income is guaranteed. You can get your money the same day — I don’t know what’s better than that,” said Desmond Armah-Hammond, a Revel driver for two years and a commercial driver in NYC for over 30 years. “It’s been great so far, I will never go back.”
Revel drivers operate the company’s all-electric rideshare fleet, with about 300 EVs including Tesla Model Ys & Model 3s and the Kia Niro EV, all branded Revel Blue. Revel Rideshare is available for pick-up and drop-off in all five boroughs of New York City, parts of northern New Jersey, and to-and-from the three major NYC airports.
Full-time Revel drivers earn at least $1,300 per week on average and are not responsible for vehicle lease, maintenance, charging, cleaning or other costs. They have flexibility over setting their own shifts and hours each week. Revel also does not restrict drivers from driving for other platforms when not on-shift for Revel. Revel is currently offering a $500 signing bonus for drivers pursuing full-time schedules.
Revel recently expanded its in-house driver support, recruitment and operations teams with a new lease in the Falchi Building in Long Island City, Queens to help accommodate the growth of its driver workforce. Individuals interested in driving for Revel must be licensed with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission and have at least one year prior experience driving commercially. They can apply to drive for Revel in minutes here: gorevel.com/rideshare/drivers
About Revel
Founded in Brooklyn in 2018, Revel’s mission is to make zero-emission, electric mobility accessible in America’s densest cities. Today, Revel is the leading provider of public electric vehicle fast charging and all-electric rideshare in New York City. Learn more at gorevel.com.
AutoMarketplace NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace on YouTube ▶️
I worked for revel rideshare and the pay was unrealistic for nyc livelihood. Minimum wage with the minimum tip from passengers 50 cents. (No joke at all) not to mention I was working during the time revel gave free promo codes and spreed like wildfire through out nyc blogs. It was like yellow cab and Uber/Lyft did not exist in picking up passengers. Overworked and underplayed.