This week’s episode of Here to There looks at the rapidly changing transportation economy and the opportunities and challenges it presents for the over 5 million professional drivers (which include truck, taxi, school bus, and transit bus) in the United States. Au courant services like ride-hailing (Uber, Lyft) and car-sharing services (Car2Go, ZipCar) are already disrupting traditional labor markets for drivers, and emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles stand to further disrupt, if not eliminate, more of these jobs.
In this episode, we grab Lyft to Uptown Minneapolis with none other than beloved Twin Cities DJ Barb Abney to talk about her experience working in the new gig economy as a driver for both Uber and Lyft. Then, we’re joined in studio by Mark Lawson, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, to talk about the challenges that new services and technologies, as well as familiar political battles, pose for the 2400 Metro Transit drivers, technicians, and support staff they represent.
You can stream Episode 5 of Here to There below, as well as on iTunes and Stitcher, or directly on the Here to There website. Click on the episode name for a description, additional materials, and interactive content.
Here to There is developed and produced by Minneapolis-based think/do tank Apparatus in partnership with Transit for Livable Communities/St. Paul Smart Trips. The 10-episode podcast series focuses on the ways in which our daily lives and our daily commutes are inextricably linked.