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If you’re tired of opening your rideshare app after a night out only to find a 15-minute ride costs a fortune, you’re not alone. With wild surge pricing and a market dominated by just a few big players, getting home can feel like a gamble. What if rides were often 20%-40% cheaper than Uber or Lyft, and during peak times, you could save even more because there’s no surge pricing? For deal-seekers, that means real money back in your pocket every ride.

Let’s be real: the current rideshare market is basically a legal monopoly. Two massive corporations control the entire ecosystem, dictate what riders pay, slash drivers’ earnings, and act like they’re the only game in town. But what happens when a new player shows up with a model that actually makes sense?

The New Boy in Town

Enter Empower, a new rideshare app that is completely flipping the traditional rideshare model on its head. Already operating in key markets like New York City, Washington D.C., Baltimore, South Florida, and North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and now Tampa & Orlando. Empower is consistent, generally cheaper, and is making some serious waves with a completely different approach.

Predictably, the big bullies are mercilessly beating them down, trying to kick them out of the market by shutting them down.

Why would these massive rideshare monopolies and city bureaucrats want to crush them? Simple. Because Empower exposes exactly how rideshare should have worked from day one. Instead of acting as a corporate middleman that siphons off up to half of every single fare, Empower operates purely as a software platform like Expedia.

My Encounter:

I actually just took my first ride with them, and chatting with the driver was super insightful. He absolutely loves the platform and was visibly upset that the city is trying to shut it down, straight up calling the current system a monopoly.

I then asked if the system is really better beyond just the pay, and he said it’s all about freedom. Uber forces drivers to work at certain times and take specific rides, but with this, they have the complete freedom to choose what they take and when they work.

Here’s the main difference and why it benefits both riders and drivers:

The Main Difference: How This New Rideshare App Works

• 100% to the Driver: Instead of giving up a percentage of every fare, drivers pay a flat monthly subscription fee (Free trial code below). In exchange, they keep 100% of the fare. Think of it like paying for advertising or a lead-generation tool that connects you directly with customers. That is the platform’s only cut.
• Cheaper and More Consistent for Riders: Because Empower doesn’t take huge corporate commissions, drivers can charge you less. You get fair market rates without extreme surge multipliers – no paying triple just because it’s raining. For example, a ride that might cost $25 with Uber or Lyft typically runs about $18 on Empower.
• Drivers Set Prices: Empower doesn’t dictate the prices with a secretive algorithm. Drivers set their own rate cards. Want to charge less to get more rides? You can. Want to charge a premium for a luxury vehicle? You can.

Everything is handled natively right in the app, making the user experience virtually identical to what you’re already used to.

Empower has quickly racked up thousands of downloads and currently holds a 4.7/5 rating on both the App Store and Google Play. You can even request to be matched with a driver of the same gender for added comfort and peace of mind.

The Elephant in the Room: The Crackdown

When you build a better mousetrap that threatens a multi-billion-dollar duopoly, the empire strikes back. That’s the massive elephant in the room.

New York City is actively trying to shut Empower down immediately through a cease-and-desist order. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has labeled them an “illegal” and “unlicensed” service. They’re aggressively trying to enforce this and are threatening fines.

Regulators claim it’s about “safety” and “insurance liability” because the trips aren’t tracked through heavily taxed city channels. But let’s call a spade a spade: this is about keeping disruptors out of the market. Why would the city and the legacy rideshare monopolies want a decentralized style of ridesharing to survive? A model where drivers keep all their money and riders pay less directly threatens their cash cow.

While critics raise concerns, Empower requires all drivers to pass background checks and provide proof of valid rideshare insurance before accessing the platform. Trip details are tracked in-app to help protect both riders and drivers, just like on Uber and Lyft.

By matching the core safety standards of the big rideshare companies, Empower lets you save money without compromising on safety, giving riders and drivers real peace of mind.

Beat the Monopoly While You Can

We absolutely need this kind of competition to help stabilize prices and ensure drivers actually take home what they earn. Without disruptors pushing the envelope, we’re stuck with forever-increasing fares and underpaid drivers. If you want to experience what ridesharing was supposed to be, you should grab the app and try it while you can.

Give It a Spin (Personal code)

Support the model that actually supports riders and drivers.

For Riders:

Book your next ride through Empower and get $10+ in free rides:

1. Copy promo code: 6KF663
2. Download the app + sign up here
3. Enter the code in the “Enter Promo Code” tab in the app
4. Get $10+ off your first trip!

Heads-up: the system is very weird about letting you use the entire amount at once. On my first ride, it only let me use $6, and on my second ride, it only let me use $2. It’s not transparent at all about what is going on with that math. I really hope they fix that ASAP and just let us apply the entire balance at once.

For Drivers:

Earn more with Empower: keep 100% of your fare, set your own rates, and receive the respect you deserve!

1. Copy code: 6KF663
2. Tap the link to download the app + sign up here
3. Enter the code in the app to unlock your 30 DAY FREE TRIAL with no commitment!

Add on the New Driver Guarantee:

• $1,000 Piedmont Triad Trial Guarantee – Provide 90 rides in trial. Enter code DriveNC
• $1,000 New York Trial Guarantee – Provide 50 rides in trial. Enter code DriveNYC
• $2,000 Washington, D.C. Trial Guarantee – Provide 160 rides in trial. Enter code DriveDC
• $1,000 South Florida Trial Guarantee – Provide 70 rides in trial. Enter code DriveMIA
• $2,000 Baltimore Trial Guarantee – Provide 170 rides in trial. Enter code DriveBAL

Verdict:

If you want to take advantage of this while the app is still operating, whether in New York or in other markets, you should grab it while you can. Hopefully, Empower and the regulators can find a middle ground so this pro-driver business model can stick around.

Pro Tip: Empower is also available on the Obi app. If you use Obi to monitor prices, you can connect your accounts, and it integrates right in. It tells you all the prices for a specific route at once, so you can see it side-by-side with Uber and Lyft to guarantee you’re getting the best deal.

Last detail for points maximizers: the charges code as “rideshare,” just like Uber and Lyft. If you remember when Revel was around, it coded weirdly as an “auto rental agency” since Revel rented out their cars to the drivers. While that technically counted as travel, it wasn’t considered rideshare for specific category bonuses. With Empower, you don’t have to worry; you’ll get the category benefit, like for United Rideshare Credit.

Drive safe, ride smart, and enjoy the savings!