On September 19, 2024, a small crowd of forty drivers and supporters of a new rideshare service rallied at Freedom Plaza outside the DC Council building in Washington, DC. The protest’s target was the appointment of Jonathan Rogers as the director of the city’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles (DFHV), an agency that exercises mild oversight of such companies. Protesters held signs saying, “Support drivers, delete Uber, download Empower,” and “DFHV makes $191,000/year, no wonder you don’t care about affordable rides.”
Empower, the new ride-sharing service, launched in DC in 2020. In the years since, the DFHV has repeatedly denounced the company for operating illegally; as interim director of the DFHV, Rogers has maintained this stance. In December 2023, the DFHV issued a cease-and-desist letter reminding riders that Empower “is not registered with DFHV and is not authorized to operate as a ride share provider in the District.” The DFHV began impounding vehicles and imposing fines on Empower for illegal operation, which are currently in excess of $100 million. The DFHV also discouraged the public from using Empower, citing the possibility of “seriously negative consequences for the passengers.”
Then, the DC attorney general’s office sued Empower for public harm, including a driver assault on a passenger. The DC Council joined the pile on by announcing an investigation into Empower’s “unauthorized operations.”
These attempts to rein in Empower have led to a showdown that bears an eerie resemblance to DC’s standoff with Uber more than a decade ago. Empower presents itself as a cheaper, more driver-friendly alternative to Uber, and accuses the city of protecting the older company’s monopoly on rideshare services….
Auteur: Declan Cullen
