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On Monday, the rideshare company Revel decided to end its service, saying goodbye to its 500 teal electric vehicles zipping across New York City and abruptly cutting off its network of drivers without any warning.
Revel cofounder and CEO Frank Reig explained that it's getting out of the rideshare business in New York City—where it's dwarfed by Uber and Lyft—and plans to focus on expanding its electric vehicle charging stations in major metros, including New York City. (No surprise there: Revel landed a fat, $60 million loan from New York state in February to construct 267 new EV chargers in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.)
"We are proud to have been the first all-electric rideshare company," Reig told amNY. "For many, their first experience in an EV was in one of our bright blue cars. That spark helped power the electrification of rideshare throughout New York City. Revel cars have gone from being some of the only EVs on the road to being joined by thousands."
Revel began as a moped-sharing service operating out of a Bushwick storefront in 2018, and launched its car rideshare program (and a short-lived e-bike sharing program) in New York City in 2021, years after its main competitors Uber and Lyft got their starts in the city. (Revel ended its moped service in 2023, after it faced scrutiny when two riders died.)
There used to be one big distinction between Revel and its competitors: In Revel's early days, those car rideshares were provided by actual employees who received hourly wages and benefits, unlike Uber and Lyft, companies that rely on the labor of independent contractors (who have protested how Uber and Lyft lock them out of those apps to avoid paying them).
But in the fall of 2024, Revel took a page out of Uber and Lyft's book and laid off its 1,000 drivers, giving them the option to keep working as contractors. At the time, the company said drivers preferred the "flexibility" of choosing their own hours (and losing their benefits).
At least at that time, workers were given a heads-up. Around 600 people drive for Revel in New York City each month, and this time around, none of them were warned in advance that the company would end its rideshare service in the city, the New York Times reported.