By Julia Mericle – Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times

Nov 6, 2020, 1:42pm EST

Pittsburgh-based Gridwise, which operates a data-driven platform to help rideshare and delivery drivers maximize their earnings, launched Gridwise Protection, an initiative that offers drivers income protection and sick leave.  

The announcement comes shortly after California passed Proposition 22, which establishes drivers as independent contractors, rather than employees, of companies such as Uber, Lyft and Grubhub.  

“Drivers who opt into this program will have up to 80% of their income covered while they work through situations that people don’t plan for,” Ryan Green, founder and CEO of Gridwise, said. “…In a lot of these situations drivers find themselves where they are not able to take the time off because they are relying on income for that day.”

Those situations include vehicle repairs, deactivation by a service provider or hospitalization and sickness. Gridwise reported that more than 60% of its rideshare and delivery drivers had been unfairly deactivated at some point and 72% reported being unable to get reactivated. 

Green also said that more than 21% of drivers reported working while feeling sick, a statistic even more critical during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“It really puts drivers’ minds at ease by ensuring that in case of any of these situations, they will still have a source of income,” Green said.  

Green declined to disclose the company’s revenue. He said Gridwise will continue to have announcements in the coming months as it adds more features to the platform.