AUSTIN, TX. – There’s no denying the Uber and Lyft’s exit from Austin has left a HUGE hole in local ride sharing (ride hailing) market here thankfully, more options are becoming available to locals here seemingly by the day and what once was a very tight market is wide open to entrepreneurs who are eager to take advantage of an Austin Texas where the big names in ride hailing are no longer an option.
Fare
One of the newest ride hailing apps to launch in Austin is called Fare, this app is different than both Uber and Lyft because it allows riders to schedule a ride up in advance and right now the company is only launching their app through word of mouth and referral marketing so you literally have to know someone who will give you a referral code so you can try Fare out.
CEO Michael Leto told the Austin Business Journal Friday he has been in Austin almost continuously since he learned that Uber and Lyft had vacated the Austin market.
He also said he was expecting to receive a conditional operating authority approval from the Austin Transportation Department on Friday afternoon. Leto said he has 700 drivers already on boarded through a preliminary, non-fingerprint-based criminal background check ( a key focus of the debate over Austin's TNC regulations.) Another 600 are currently going through the background check process.
RideAustin
Another ride hailing option that you can use is RideAustin, this app is different than both Uber and Lyft because the company has a non-profit status and this means that they will be able to keep their costs and overhead lower than Uber could.
The RideAustin app is also different than the major players in ride hailing because, they don’t allow you to tip your driver at this time, and there are some questions about what RideAustin’s pricing is going to be like moving forward so for now all we can do is wait and see if this app will be a popular option for locals in the months to come.
Learn More about Austin
To learn more about life in Austin Texas, or to view homes for sale, contact the Kent Redding Group today by calling us at (512) 306-1001 or CLICK HERE to connect with us online.
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