Fare Co-op Sets off My MLM Alarm Bells

I've got some familiarity with pyramid schemes. When I was looking for work years ago I almost joined an insurance one. I've had friends and, "Friends," try to sell me on them at various points as well. For those unaware, pretty much anything where you can make more money recruiting people than selling the actual product is, by its nature, a pyramid scheme/multilevel marketing. It can be insurance, Mary Kay Cosmetics, CutCo Knives, True Romance sex toys, Herbalife, Avon, Pampered Chef, or basically anything. My point is, if a major aspect or even the main point of the business is to recruit others so you get money for referrals, downstream/upstream, or any other fancy phrasing, you're in a MLM. If you're okay with that, cool. Some people do very well in such a business as with any prymaid there are, "Levels," above others, making plenty of money...the thing is, a vast majority of folks are there at the bottom. I say all this to bring me to the point of how, when I heard radio ads for…