Though it has yet to make a formal announcement, the ride-hail industry has had numerous sightings of a new player in the market – Juno.

The brainchild of Israeli-American entrepreneur Talmon Marco, Juno started testing in New York City in February with plans to roll out this spring.

Marco founded and then sold Skype competitor Viber for $900 million. Media reports say the new company plans to charge drivers only 10-percent commissions for the first two years, or less than half of what drivers pay Uber. Future increases will be worked out after consultation with the drivers. The company also plans to give stock to its drivers on a regular basis so that they eventually hold half of the founding shares, creating “a real partnership,” Marco told Bloomberg Business.

“The advantage of being second is you can learn from other’s experience,” said Marco.

Marco told Pando.com that he was moved to go after Uber after talking with one of its drivers and feeling horrified at the terms on which the driver was employed.

Marco said his company would make a concerted effort to win over drivers to compete with Uber and Lyft.

“We are not looking at competing with Uber and Lyft on price,” said Marco. “We are looking to compete on quality. We want to offer a differentiated experience to drivers, but also to riders. There is a lot to improve in this space.”

According to Marco, Juno already has thousands of New York drivers running around with its app, and at least 1,000 more are registered and waiting. Marco said he’s in the process of filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue stock that would eventually be shared with its drivers.

“It is about doing something meaningful,” said Marco.

Uber, despite its success, has run into roadblocks in markets around the world. Founded in 2009, Uber’s aggressive tactics have spurred protests and strikes across the globe as taxi and limo drivers have cried foul over what they call a double standard for ride-hail firms versus traditional taxi and limo companies.

The California Labor Commission recently ruled that Uber drivers are employees, not contractors, a decision that could have significant consequences on the company’s taxes and benefits.

“At the heart of Juno is a belief that it’s time for a ride sharing service that treated drivers right,” said Marco. “It’s time for an ethical, socially responsible ride sharing service. And that’s what we are doing.”

Reportedly, Juno is paying some Uber drivers $25 per week to join and drive their normal routes while keeping the Juno app on as well.

Marco calls the data-gathering practice “beta testing” for Juno. “Making sure that everything works—at scale,” he says. “In addition, this gives us the opportunity to understand patterns, traffic behavior, activity hours and so on.”

CBInsights reported that Juno has a team of engineers in Israel and has leased 10,000 square feet at 1 World Trade Center in New York.

Nicky Stanard, Juno’s training and culture coordinator, told FastCompany that the startup will make drivers the centerpiece of its business.

"Drivers are our business," said Stanard. "So that’s why we built a business model that puts drivers first.”

Juno plans to offer 24-hour driver phone support, provide each driver with a phone and pay for data and drivers will get paid more for picking up rides in surge areas, but customers won’t be charged more, as they are with Uber and Lyft. Unlike Uber, tips will be allowed.

Marco says he plans to give drivers the choice of whether they want to work exclusively for Juno as employees or to continue to operate as independent contractors. "If someone is working exclusively for you and you set the rules," said Marco. "Then you really are an employee and you should be treated as such. It’s common sense."