The Drivers Cooperative Colorado

Support Our Free Ride Program for SNAP Recipients!

We are partnering with local organizations--starting with the Denver Inner City Parish--to provide free round-trip rides for low-income seniors receiving SNAP benefits so they can access their local food pantry safely.

This program ensures seniors can get the groceries they rely on without the burden of transportation costs.

DCC is covering up to $1,000 in free rides for this effort, but community support is essential to help the program grow.

• $15 provides a free ride to three seniors in need
• $25 helps expand the program to reach more elders

Together, we can help ensure that older adults in our community have consistent access to healthy food and reliable transportation. Please consider donating to support this initiative!

Driving Change: The Drivers Cooperative Colorado Story

Imagine you’re a rideshare driver on a cold, snowy evening in Denver. The roads are slick, the air crisp, and every ride counts. You accept an airport trip—the kind that promises a decent fare. You greet the passenger, assist with their luggage, and deliver a smooth, professional ride. The passenger paid at least $80, but when you check your earnings, you see you received just $15. This injustice—routine in Big Tech apps—leaves you struggling to support your family.  

Now, imagine waking up the next day to find your driver account deactivated—no warnings, no timeline, just silence. Without income, the bills pile up. This scenario is far too familiar: Boulder–Denver rideshare drivers earned an average of $5.49 per hour in 2022—well below minimum wage—with less than half of fares going to drivers. It’s clear the current system is broken.

A Vision of Ownership

What if drivers owned the platform they relied on? What if they had a vote, a share of the profits, and control over their work? That’s exactly the alternative the Drivers Cooperative Colorado (DCC) is building—a driver-owned, democratic alternative to Uber and Lyft. 

DCC offers two core apps—COOP Rideshare for riders, COOP Drivers for drivers—powered by a model that returns 80% of the trip fare directly to drivers. Without fat CEO salaries or opaque algorithms, every dollar stays in the community.

“This is the future starting now,” says Taiyelolu, a driver-member who completed over 200 rides within his first month  .

DCC' mission is to generate social mobility through a worker coop owned, driven, and anchored by CO rideshare drivers. They are committed to:

• Closing the wealth gap by offering just and equitable wages
• Adhering to cooperative principles-”concern for community”-- and providing inclusive, reliable, safe, and affordable transport to CO’s underserved communities 
• Drive broader social transformation by delivering a locally owned, competitive rideshare alternative for Coloradans

Grounded in Community

This movement began in 2022, in the Denver International Airport parking lot. There, labor activist Minsun Ji, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC), handed out fliers that asked: “WHAT IF DRIVERS OWNED THE PLATFORM?”.

Mohammed Ishag, a Sudanese immigrant working for Uber and Lyft, listened and answered the call. That spark led to training sessions, steering committees, and eventually, official incorporation in May 2023.

The journey wasn’t easy. DCC had to lobby for new legislation to reduce Transportation Network Company licensing fees from over $111,000 to just $16,000 per year. They waited five months to secure insurance and spent two years fundraising to build the apps. Their perseverance paid off with a September 2024 launch and a formal proclamation from Denver for their community impact.

Diverse & Driven

Over 70% of DCC’s driver-members are immigrants from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, who viewed driving as a lifeline in their new homeland. Leaders like Ahmed (Morocco), Isaac (Zimbabwe), Abdullahi (Somalia), and Mohammed and Mohamed (Sudan) have shaped the cooperative from the start—bringing rich perspectives to the board and daily operations.

As general manager Isaac Chinyoka puts it:

“Most of the drivers have had a situation where their voice is not heard… here, as part of this coop, they can speak their mind. They feel they belong.”  

Join the Movement

From snowy airport runs to boardroom decisions, the DDC stands for equity, empowerment, and community. Your support invests in:

• Fair wages

• Ownership

• Dignity and safety

This isn’t just about rides—it’s about rights. It’s people over profit. It’s democratized rideshare. And with your help, it’s a movement that can reshape the gig economy nationwide.

Drive change. Empower communities. Support the Colorado Drivers Cooperative today.