Competition was always meant to shift the market, and if one new company gets its way, that shift could force Uber into submission.
For months now, a new company called Juno has been plotting to take a share of the private car service business -- and not by focusing on gaining loyalty from customers, at least, not primarily.
Juno has been focusing its efforts on warming up to drivers, who have been known to protest the way they are treated by Uber and Lyft, two of the most recognized private car services.
A Juno higher-up told Fast Company in February,
Drivers are our business. So that's why we built a business model that puts drivers first.
Juno has yet to formally begin doing business -- the app is still in beta mode -- but Recode provides a pretty succinct summary of how the startup is expected to operate.
According to Recode, Juno already has 9,000 drivers subscribed to its service. Drivers work to recruit other drivers, in exchange for benefits provided by Juno. The biggest perk for employees, however, won't come from recruitment.
Recode says Juno only takes a 10 percent commission from drivers, while Lyft and Uber are known to take commissions over 25 percent.
This compromise doesn't come at the expense of the customer, either. Juno promises cheaper rates for riders, too.
All things considered, it sounds like a win-win all around.
Still, business is never that simple, and Recode's report highlights how much money Juno shelled out to even start doing business: over $1 million. So, to have a viable operation, Juno is going to need a lot of success early on.
Still, if Juno fulfills its expectations, no matter how ambitious those expectations are, the new company just might be the reason you see fewer and fewer Uber drivers out there.
Citations: Inside Juno, The Company That Wants To Beat Uber By Wooing Its Drivers (Fast company), New York's newest ride-hail app is feeding off drivers' desperation (Recode)
