When you’re signing up to become an Uber driver, agreeing to terms and conditions only takes one click.
But if you ever stop to dive deeper into your contract, you may notice the name of one unfamiliar company hidden in the legalese: Raiser LLC.
With new industries often comes new questions, and many Uber drivers are no strangers to just how volatile the rideshare industry can be.
Uber is constantly facing regulations and even lawsuits that are shaping how they operate.
Naturally, the company has come up with interesting ways to protect itself over the years — one of which was the formation of Raiser LLC.
Raiser isn’t just a random part of Uber’s massive business structure.
The LLC can actually affect drivers like you. In this article, we’ll explain exactly why Raiser exists, so you know more about your ridesharing contract.
What is Raiser LLC?
Raiser was formed in 2013 by Travis Kalanick to handle a rising number of cases and lawsuits brought against Uber by its drivers and riders.
Kalanick has since stepped down as CEO amid accusations of sexual harassment and other indiscretions.
Is Raiser LLC Actually Uber?
Raiser is an Uber subsidiary company.
Uber Technologies is Raiser’s holding company.
The Uber corporate structure includes a complicated chain of various subsidiaries.
The holding company uses Raiser as a sort of buffer against the main Uber company.
What is the Purpose of Raiser LLC?
The purpose of Raiser is to protect the San Francisco-based Uber brand.
By separating the legal issues and financial dealings of Uber from its main company, Raiser helps to prevent any potential damage that lawsuits or other negative publicity could cause.
The Raiser arm of Uber typically deals with airport agreements, government licenses, and class action lawsuits.
It also shows up as the company each Uber driver gets paid by on income statements.
In some states, you’ll notice the company spelled as Rasier LLC on your driver payment information.
Why Raiser LLC Matters to Uber Drivers
As an Uber driver, it’s important to understand the relationship between Raiser LLC, Uber, and your employment as an independent contractor.
How Your Uber Contract Legally Works
Your contract with Uber is legally binding.
As an Uber driver, you aren’t an employee of the company.
Instead, you’re an independent contractor, which affects how you get paid and how you pay your taxes.
It also means that you are not entitled to any benefits usually offered to employees, such as health insurance, 401k plans, or paid time off.
Finally, you aren’t contracting with Uber.
You’ve entered into a contract with Raiser LLC.
Why is Raiser LLC Showing Up On My Paycheck?
Since you’re technically working for Raiser, your paycheck reflects this fact.
You’re driving for the Uber app, but getting paid by its subsidiary, Raiser.
What Are Raiser LLC EDI Payments?
Class action lawsuits payments often show up on Uber driver payment statements.
These are payments made by Raiser to settle a lawsuit.
They’re listed as “EDI” payments.
You might receive a small payout from a lawsuit that you signed up for many years ago.
Once it finally settles, all the payouts go out to the parties involved.
Sometimes, you might notice promotion payouts appearing on your payment description as an EDI payment inside the Uber app.
You might want to check with your bank to make sure no one else used your bank account information to access their own Uber account.
Why is Raiser LLC Showing Up On My Taxes?
You’ll see Raiser on your tax information for the same reason that you see it show up on your paychecks.
Uber uses Raiser to distribute all payments.
The IRS doesn’t see Uber paying you.
The tax agency sees Raiser LLC paying you.
Therefore, Raiser shows up on anything related to paying taxes on your Uber driving income.
What is the Tax ID of Raiser LLC?
The tax ID of Raiser is 80-0896455.
The company began on 2/3/2013.
Filing a Lawsuit Against Uber
If you’re thinking of filing a lawsuit against Uber, it’s important to know that you won’t sue the company itself.
You’ll take on Raiser LLC.
The amount you might receive in damages depends on the nature of the injuries involved, whether medical payments entered the picture, or how much pain and suffering you went through.
How Can I Contact Raiser LLC?
Despite the fact that Raiser acts as an intermediary when legal issues arise, there’s actually no way to contact the subsidiary for basic driver issues like incorrect payouts or bugs on the app.
If you have general questions or problems, you’ll need to contact Uber as you normally would and the Uber customer support team will take care of your needs.
If you have a question about your driver payment statement or tax information, you can also email Raiser at [email protected].
How to Serve Raiser LLC With Legal Documents
If you do plan to serve legal documents to Raiser LLC for any reason, you still can’t directly get in touch with someone from the Uber subsidiary.
The LLC’s current contact information is kept private, so you won’t be able to quickly call a phone number or send an email.
If you need to serve Raiser LLC with legal documents, you can do so by mailing them the information.
Any documents must instead be delivered to their registered agent, CT Corporation, at their in-state address.
As a registered agent, CT Corporation is responsible for accepting service of process on behalf of Raiser LLC between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time) every weekday.
Raiser LLC’s Address
Mail any legal documents to the company’s registered agent address at 1200 South Pine Island Road Plantation, FL 33324, and its corporate address at 1455 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103.
Other Uber Subsidiaries to be Aware of
Raiser LLC isn’t the only Uber subsidiary that exists.
Beyond Raiser LLC and the many companies that Uber has acquired over the years, the rideshare brand acts as a holding company for a few self-created subsidiaries that serve unique legal functions.
It’s a good idea to become aware of these subsidiaries while working for Uber.
Why Does Uber Have Subsidiaries?
Uber’s subsidiaries exist for a variety of reasons.
One reason is to help the company expand into new markets.
Another reason is to allow for more experimentation with different types of services and technologies.
Finally, Uber uses some of its subsidiaries to manage certain aspects of its business operations.
1. Uber International C.V.
Uber International C.V. is the holding company for all of Uber’s international operations.
This company was formed in 2013, and it’s based in the Netherlands.
2. Uber B.V.
Uber BV is the Dutch arm of the Uber transportation company.
It operates ride-sharing and food delivery services.
The company uses Amsterdam as its headquarters.
If you use Uber outside the United States, you’ll see Uber B.V. show up on your statements.
3. Uber Singapore Technology PTE LTD
Uber Singapore Technology is a subsidiary founded in 2013 to operate the Uber Eats food delivery service and the Uber rideshare services in that country.
It’s located in the Frasers Tower building.
The company lists its primary industry type as “Management Consultancy Services (General)”.
4. Careem
Careem is a ride-sharing company that operates primarily in the Middle East and North Africa.
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Dubai, Careem drivers service more than 600 million people.
Its principal company participants are Mudassir Sheikha (CEO and Co-founder), Magnus Olsson (Co-founder), and Ibrahim Manna (Managing Director – Global Markets).
5. Cornershop
Cornershop is an online grocery delivery service that operates in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Chile, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and India.
It delivers groceries from local stores to customers’ homes.
The company has been operational since 2015.
6. Jump
Jump is a bike-sharing company that operates in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
It offers both short-term and long-term bike rental options to its customers.
The company started in 2017, with Uber acquiring it in 2018.
7. Postmates
Postmates is a food delivery service that operates in the United States.
It partners with local restaurants to deliver food to customers’ homes or offices.
Postmates got its start in 2011 and headquarters itself in San Francisco.
In 2021, Uber finalized its acquisition of Postmates.
Uber discontinued the Postmates app in many cities as it phased the company out.
Eventually, all prior Postmates drivers will become Uber Eats drivers and fulfill orders on that food delivery app.
You may find Postmates in a few cities across the country until the transition phase completes itself.
8. Uber Eats
Uber Eats is a food delivery service that operates in the United States, Canada, Australia, and over 40 other countries.
The food delivery app services over 6000 cities around the world.
It partners with local restaurants to deliver food to customers’ homes or offices.
Uber started Uber Eats to compete with other food delivery services such as DoorDash, Grubhub, and Instacart.
9. Zomato
Zomato is a restaurant discovery and reviews platform that operates in 24 countries.
The company offers online ordering from restaurants.
Founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, Zomato continued to expand into areas like Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR.
By 2014, Zomato reached Portugal, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Canada, and Ireland.
Its app helps people in various languages like English, Indonesian, Portuguese, and Turkish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you know that Raiser LLC is a hidden company that you should be aware of as an Uber driver, here are some frequently asked questions to help you learn more.
Is Raiser LLC responsible for providing health care or other benefits to full-time drivers?
No.
Even though you have a signed contract with Raiser LLC, Raiser is still not responsible for covering any benefits or job-related expenses for drivers.
This is because you’re still classified as an independent contractor, so you act as your own boss and Raiser is not required to give you any employment benefits.
The existence of Raiser LLC simply protects Uber from liability.
It doesn’t affect the basics of how the role works or pays in any way.
Is Lyft associated with Raiser LLC in any way?
No, Lyft drivers are not associated with or directly impacted by any subsidiary of Uber.
Lyft does not have near as many subsidiaries as Uber, and almost all of its subsidiaries are previously acquired products or services, not brands that affect drivers directly.
Is Unicorn considered an Uber subsidiary?
You may have heard of Uber using the company name “Unicorn” in a past acquisition, but Unicorn is not actually a subsidiary.
Rather, it’s basically a code name that Uber used for legal documents.
Though calling itself “Unicorn” may seem outlandish, using placeholder names is common practice in legal documents.
Doing so can helpfully protect confidentiality within an agreement.
Of course, since the use of “Unicorn” was public information, it’s unclear what exact purpose the placeholder name served.
What is Unicorn?
A report from “Motherboard” based on an examination of legal documents in court cases involving Uber revealed that the company often uses “Unicorn” to refer to itself when acquiring other companies.
The most notable case of this was Uber’s acquisition of self-driving truck startup Otto.
Wrapping Up
Uber drivers often assume that they’re contracted by the company they’re representing every time they’re on the road.
After all, the driver application all seamlessly takes place on Uber platforms and does little to hint that you’re working with any other brand.
However, if you look into your agreements or tax documents, you’ll find that you are actually contracted by Raiser LLC — one of many Uber subsidiaries.
This is a must-know for when you’re filing taxes, receiving payments, or even filing a lawsuit.
why is Raiser LLC taking $5.00 out of my checking account??
There is no indication from Uber/Raiser why $5.00 is being deducted???
Aww
How come without my concern Raiser, LLC took out $23.63 from my account.
How much did I earn through Uber last week. This is robbery.
i am an sf uber driver who needs raiser llc address as i am suing them regarding payments. i have uber’s address for service of papers but apparently that wont work for this lawsuit.
thats usually when customer says they shouldnt be charged cancel fee. you have to write customer support about 10 times to get your $5 back.
that is usually because a customer claimed you did something wrong such as picking up wrong customer. you have to write to customer support about 10 times to get your money back.