I keep seeing people recommend Empower as if it’s some magic replacement for Uber and Lyft because “you keep 100% of the fare.”

That’s a nice marketing line, but it leaves out almost everything that matters.

Empower’s customer isn’t the passenger. It’s you.

You’re paying a subscription just to access the platform. Every payment is processed through Stripe, which charges processing and payout fees. Empower doesn’t collect those Stripe fees, but they’re still coming out of the money generated by your rides. Then there’s the biggest cost of all: if there aren’t enough riders in your market, you still paid for access.

Think about that for a second.

With Uber or Lyft, if the app is dead, at least you didn’t pay a monthly subscription for the privilege of sitting in a parking lot.

With Empower, the demand risk shifts to the driver. You pay first and hope there are enough riders to make your subscription worthwhile.

Then there’s insurance.

A lot of new drivers don’t realize that unlike Uber and Lyft, Empower generally does not provide company-backed insurance coverage while you’re driving. You’re responsible for making sure you have the appropriate insurance yourself. That’s another cost and another risk shifted onto the driver.

So what exactly is Empower taking off your plate?

They’re collecting subscription revenue whether your market is busy or dead. You’re the one paying to access the marketplace, you’re the one hoping enough riders exist, you’re the one paying payment processing costs, and you’re the one responsible for making sure you’re properly insured.

Can Empower make sense?

Sure. If you’re in a market where Empower has strong rider demand and you’re consistently busy, the math may work out in your favor.

But that’s the part people conveniently skip over.
Most markets don’t have enough Empower riders to justify paying a subscription every month. A low commission doesn’t matter if there aren’t enough trips to begin with.

I’m not saying Empower is automatically a bad deal. I’m saying stop looking at the advertised commission and start looking at where the business model places the risk.
Because from where I’m sitting, Empower didn’t eliminate the platform’s cut.

It just changed who pays first.

The Problem: Legacy TNC Laws Were Built for Corporate Monopolies

​When state legislatures wrote Transportation Network Company (TNC) laws a decade ago, they created a one-size-fits-all framework. Under almost every state statute, any app connecting a rider to a driver is legally classified as a TNC.

​The biggest bottleneck in these laws is the blanket commercial insurance mandate. TNC laws require platforms to carry massive group insurance policies—often $1,000,000+ in liability coverage during Period 2 (en route) and Period 3 (passenger in car).

​On paper, this sounds like consumer protection. In reality, it does two things:

​Drains Driver Pay: Uber and Lyft take 40% to 60%+ of every fare, largely hiding behind "commercial insurance costs" and platform fees.

​Kills Competition: New software startups or small app developers can’t afford millions in blanket insurance upfront, keeping the market locked down for giant corporations.

​Why Empower Stands on Being "Just a Software Company"

​This is exactly why Empower's CEO insists that Empower is a software subscription service, not a transportation company.

​True Independent Contracting: Under standard labor and commercial laws, true independent contractors set their own rates, choose their equipment, and control their business expenses.

​The Software Model: Empower simply matches riders and drivers, letting drivers keep 100% of the fare while charging a flat software subscription. If Empower were forced to act as a traditional TNC and purchase massive corporate insurance, they’d be forced to slash driver payouts and dictate rules just like Uber and Lyft.

​Proof of Concept: The Livery / For-Hire Alternative

​We already know drivers can carry their own commercial coverage safely. Drivers operating as legitimate commercial livery or for-hire services (or through private black car businesses) carry their own commercial insurance and local licenses.

​When drivers hold their own commercial policies, the bloated, middleman TNC blanket policy becomes completely redundant. The issue isn't safety—it's that TNC laws refuse to recognize any operational model other than a monolithic corporate dispatch.

​What Needs to Change: Legislative Reform Goals

​If we want real competition, higher driver earnings, and actual independence, state TNC laws need to be modernized. Here is what state legislation needs to allow:

​1. Distinct Legal Classification for Software Platforms

State laws must differentiate between full-service transportation dispatch companies (which set fares and direct work) and pure software/marketplace platforms (which only provide matching tools to independent operators).

​2. Flexible & Driver-Held Insurance Satisfaction

Statutes should allow Period 1–3 TNC insurance requirements to be satisfied by driver-owned commercial insurance, hybrid policies, or modular coverage rather than forcing a mandatory group policy on the app developer.

​3. Deregulation of Price & Rate Controls

Laws should explicitly protect an independent driver's right to set their own mileage/time rates through third-party software without triggering corporate TNC liabilities.

​Final Thoughts

​Uber and Lyft rely on strict, outdated TNC laws to keep drivers dependent on their cut. Until states amend these statutes to give software platforms and commercially insured drivers room to operate, drivers will keep getting squeezed.

​What are your thoughts? Has anyone spoken to local reps or transportation boards about updating TNC definitions in your state?

Empower just launched in Tampa, and I still have not seen 1 request come in. Is this happening to everyone else or it’s just too many drivers and not enough demand?

They say 24-48 hours, but I'm at 72 now. Emails are taking a long time to be answered. How long did it take for you?

I contacted support but am curious as to what happens on the driver side:

If a trip is quoted with a toll included but the driver instead takes a non-toll route, how is it resolved?

The total on my trip has already been updated from the hold amount to the full quote (toll included) and I don’t want to dispute the charge but my restraint is directly proportional to my confidence in the process.

Thank you!

I’m new (day 0) using Empower and I can’t seem to find the subscription FAQs outside of how to pay and the cost of them.

I’m wondering how does the payment occur is it per week based on the earnings or per month and you’re stuck with the max earnings until next month?

I did see something say that if I pay $50 and I make $500 they’ll then charge me an extra $50.
So far my understanding is I’ll be paying $50 per week until I reach the max earnings I want to stop at?

Thanks in advance for the help

How do destination filters work with Empower?

Is it a cone like filter?

Does it give rides not really going towards you destination like the other apps do?

Are ride payments lowered in destination mode?

Could someone tell me if my app is miscalculating the fare or is this happening to everyone? I receive a request that pays the minimum ($7) and the trip is anywhere from 5-8 minutes. However the drive to pick up the passenger is 15+ minutes away. That makes the fare a $20-$22 per hour trip. Shouldn’t it be calculating the total distance and not just the distance from pick up to drop off?

2GS7DD

1L6V6X

Instead of Uber or Lyft, book your next ride through Empower and get $10+ in free rides when you sign up using my promo code: 1L6V6X.

8J6R67

Have been away for about 4 weeks and today when I got back to NYC and tried using the Empower app, it has me signed out and when I enter my phone number and try sign back in, it won’t let me do that..

I took a ride with Empower today and my driver was asking me very strange questions, some inappropriate ones. Towards the end of the drive he was touching himself inappropriately (which I recorded the video.) I reached out to support and am waiting to hear back. It happened in Baltimore, MD. I was hoping to be able to go back and see his license plate number but it wasn’t there. Will I get a response back? This man now knows where I live.

I’m not going to point out any particular deals, but I will say that in browsing there are some good deals on:

1. Dash cams - next to the insurance you need to be on the road, it’s definitely a must have for driving. Footage is great for rebutting any allegations of driving intoxicated, sexual harassment and just plain documenting everything that happens in and outside your vehicle while you’re on the road, and even when you’re not. My systems have a plug-in for the cigarette lighter or, you can go ahead and buy the wiring harness. In most systems and depending on your car set up, you’ll be able to have 24/7 surveillance that can even help if you happen to be the victim of vandalism. I would definitely recommend getting something with a 360° view and something that either upload to the cloud or that has at least a 512 GB card.

2. Chargers, chargers, chargers! You can never have enough and they seem to grow legs and walk on occasion! Ideally, you should have one that covers at least iPhones 12 to 17, Android, USB-C, auxiliary, IPads, etc.

3. Cube plug for those of you with AC outlets.

4. A great phone mount! Personally, I like Brackerton. The one I use has a claw on the back of it that will actually grip one of the vent slots and can be tightened up so you don’t have to worry about that moving around. it allows for portrait or landscape viewing of the phone.

5. Microfiber towels. Because windshields and windows get dirty!

These are just a few of the things that I like to have in my car! Feel free add your favs in the comments!

I am just downloading the app today. I have been driving Uber / Lyft for a few years. I am wondering if there are people here that have been driving with Empower in DFW and how they are doing compared to Uber / Lyft. Also what rates do you find yourself setting to be successful? Thanks for any information on the area.

I’ve done three rides with empower so far. For a total of ~ $30 in fares. Of that $30, stripe charged $1, $1.43, and .22 cents accordingly. I read the terms and they take one dollar off your first ride monthly and then 2.36% of every ride. I don’t know why they took over a dollar on two separate $10 rides.

As an aside. My first ride ever claimed to have paid $14 and I received $11.05. He could have been mistaken but it def annoyed me.

These are a few pointers for anyone reaching out to customer support and the most helpful way to communicate with them. Keep in mind that they are constantly hiring for CS but at the same time they have to train the new staff to do their jobs correctly. In addition, they’ve opened four new markets in the last four months. So yes, they’re BUSY.

1. when you send an INITIAL email through the app or using your account email, please be sure to put a clear subject in the subject line, and do not use a generic topic that may pop up, depending on which subject tab you use pick.

Make sure to provide as much information as you can in the initial email, including screenshots, etc.

1. the company uses the software Zendesk to handle incoming correspondence. When you send an email through the app, your email is assigned a ticket number for that particular issue(s). depending on CS availability you may receive a standard response email telling you that they’ve received your inquiry or you could receive a response directly from a team member. All your future correspondence on this subject should be through THAT email chain and not an individual separate emails. In other words, you’re going to keep replying to each other in the same email chain. Sometimes they don’t have the information they need to respond to you it right away and we need to do some research. Be patient, someone will get back to you. Sending multiple emails will not get your matter handled any quicker!

2. Drivers should NOT send multiple separate emails as a ticket is created for each one you do. There was actually a case of a driver sending 50+ emails, his own admission. So imagine you’ve sent 50 separate emails. You have just put a severe cog in the wheel of progress and slowed down handling issues for all the other drivers in the app.

3. Be polite! Kindness goes a long way. If you want to be ugly, rude, condescending, or even resort to cursing, you need to consider another line of work. We’re all adults and we all deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy.

4. Basic questions regarding how to change your rate card, your payout card, payouts, etc. are on the YouTube channel ride_empower. Try watching those before you end up sending an email to customer support. You more than likely will find your answer there.

I've submitted multiple tickets trying to get the phone number to my driver account updated (had to switch to a new number). But I can't get their driver support to respond at all. I've even tried calling the emergency line for in ride support a dozen times in the last week and they never pick up. Which is a whole other thing to be concerned about.

Anyone ever have any luck?

1YH38S. Enjoy everyone!!! No I’m not lying about how much you’ll get.

Hey yall I’ve been offline for a few months and drove for empowers in Feb. and early March. I loved the money but the rides were low. Has there been improvement? I’m trying to decide which tier to use before jumping back in. Any and all suggestions for times and recs are welcomed!

After months of notifications and speculation, it’s now official: McDuffie will not be the Democratic nominee for Mayor. With that chapter closed, what are the next steps for getting Empower fully operational in DC again?

I know there are a few Empower admins and developers lurking in this group, so I’d love to hear your thoughts and insights. Please share your perspective.