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Life after Uber: How RideAustin moved on from a breakup
A thriving, largely homegrown collection of ride-sharing apps have filled the void created when Uber and Lyft halted service on May 9 of last year. As Uber finds itself embroiled in a series of scandals, Austin is showing the world that yes, there is life after Uber. And it's pretty good.
"The diversity and the choices that passengers have in Austin is almost unparalleled," said April Rinne, an expert on the sharing economy, who compares Austin to a petri dish for the ridesharing world. "It's a really helpful place where we've been able to hit the hold button on Uber and Lyft and say -- what else is possible? What else might happen?"
One alternative is playing out in a rusty bungalow across the street from an antique lamp store. That's where RideAustin, a nonprofit that's grabbed significant market share in the city, is headquartered. RideAustin now has 4,300 active drivers and gives 65,000 rides a week.
According to Austin transportation officials, nearly 12,000 drivers have completed a fingerprint background check to work at for-hire vehicle services in the city. Before leaving, Uber and Lyft said they each had about 10,000 drivers. Some of those drivers were likely working for both companies.
"There's no secret sauce," Joe Deshotel, spokesman for Ride Austin told CNNTech. "The technology is becoming easier to replicate. It's really about culture. Do riders and drivers like what you're doing? Do they feel like they're a part of it?"
http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/08/technology/austin-uber-lyft-sxsw/index.html?iid=EL
- Ride Austin is homegrown ride sharing App....
- Austin is showing the world that yes, there is life after Uber. And it's pretty good
. - "The diversity and the choices that passengers have in Austin is almost unparalleled," said April Rinne, an expert on the sharing economy.
A thriving, largely homegrown collection of ride-sharing apps have filled the void created when Uber and Lyft halted service on May 9 of last year. As Uber finds itself embroiled in a series of scandals, Austin is showing the world that yes, there is life after Uber. And it's pretty good.
"The diversity and the choices that passengers have in Austin is almost unparalleled," said April Rinne, an expert on the sharing economy, who compares Austin to a petri dish for the ridesharing world. "It's a really helpful place where we've been able to hit the hold button on Uber and Lyft and say -- what else is possible? What else might happen?"
One alternative is playing out in a rusty bungalow across the street from an antique lamp store. That's where RideAustin, a nonprofit that's grabbed significant market share in the city, is headquartered. RideAustin now has 4,300 active drivers and gives 65,000 rides a week.
According to Austin transportation officials, nearly 12,000 drivers have completed a fingerprint background check to work at for-hire vehicle services in the city. Before leaving, Uber and Lyft said they each had about 10,000 drivers. Some of those drivers were likely working for both companies.
"There's no secret sauce," Joe Deshotel, spokesman for Ride Austin told CNNTech. "The technology is becoming easier to replicate. It's really about culture. Do riders and drivers like what you're doing? Do they feel like they're a part of it?"
http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/08/technology/austin-uber-lyft-sxsw/index.html?iid=EL
