A group of 13 UCLA Samueli School of Engineering students recently developed a worker-cooperative rideshare model designed to prioritize drivers and riders while reinvesting profits into public transportation in Los Angeles.
In a 17-page blueprint and app prototype for a project called LinkLA, the students proposed changes to existing rideshare systems, including stable hourly wages for drivers, lower fees for riders and more transparent fare structures. A portion of each ride would be directed to a city reinvestment fund supporting public transit, electric vehicle infrastructure and broader mobility programs.
LinkLA was developed as part of ENGR 184: Humanities-Informed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, a course taught by electrical and computer engineering associate professor Sergio Carbajo. The class emphasizes the role of engineering in shaping society and encourages students to include perspectives from the humanities and social sciences.
“I want students to leave with a fundamentally expanded sense of what it means to be an engineer or scientist — one that recognizes technology is not neutral, and it is important to build comfort with critical thinking and ambiguity rather than just optimization,” Carbajo said. “It is equally important to develop an awareness of how systems of power shape scientific practice.”
