[Virus4762]

What are the fees you have to pay for a TNC card? Do you have to pay a monthly fee as well as an initial fee? How does the card affect insurance fees? Also, I've heard that when you get your TNC card, you have to list your preferred ride sharing companies. Is that true? So if you don't mention a company when getting your TNC card then you can never drive for that company? Seems weird. If that's the case, what companies do you you guys have listed? Fare, Fasten, and...RideAustin (or is RideAustin just a catchall term for ridesharing companies in Austin)?

 

[TNCTopher]

What are the fees you have to pay for a TNC card? Do you have to pay a monthly fee as well as an initial fee? How does the card affect insurance fees? Also, I've heard that when you get your TNC card, you have to list your preferred ride sharing companies. Is that true? So if you don't mention a company when getting your TNC card then you can never drive for that company? Seems weird. If that's the case, what companies do you you guys have listed? Fare, Fasten, and...RideAustin (or is RideAustin just a catchall term for ridesharing companies in Austin)?

It's an annual fee. About $40, with tax.

The TNC card doesn't effect the cost of insurance. You are still expected to tell your insurance carrier that you are doing rideshare. 30 hours or more per week and they will want you to get a commercial livery policy. The city transportation office only communicates with the rideshare apps you have listed but the app company still will ask you to upload a pic of your card. The city is not sharing this information with insurance companies.

The apps currently available in Austin are: Fare, Fasten, Getme, Wingz, and Ride|Austin, as well as Uber and Lyft. I have heard that you can use a magic marker to add a TNC if you add an app to your personal portfolio at any time. Ride|Austin is the local non-profit version.

Hope that helps.

 

[Virus4762]

Thanks a lot man! Really helpful. Is it possible to make $20 an hour or over with any one of those companies?

 

[TNCTopher]

Thanks a lot man! Really helpful. Is it possible to make $20 an hour or over with any one of those companies?

If you were able to do $20 per hour with Uber and Lyft, then your chances are good with the little apps. None of them take 20%-28% of your total so that helps. It's a fragmented market, so having as many available is helpful and it seems as though the community is growing more confident in the post-U/L reality.

 

[Sgt_PaxHauler]

I started with Uber out in the suburbs without a TNC card, and later got my card to sign on with Fasten. I never bothered "updating" my TNC card when I signed on with Ride|Austin and Lyft, and was told that it wasn't necessary when I was at the transportation office.

 

[Virus4762]

Found this from another thread. Is this information still accurate?:

Quickest way to get your fingerprints done for TNC is to make an appointment here - [can't post links]

Contrary to what you may have heard ... fingerprints are not being processed at ACC ... you must go to either DPS (108 Denison Rd) or an Identogo location (4 in Austin and many around Texas). If you're getting prints for Austin TNC ... then enter Service Code 11GYVN (or go here - [can't post links]).

Cost for fingerprints is $39 ... make sure to take your drivers license with you as the name on your drivers license needs to match the name on your Identogo forms

Do you get your TNC card at the same location you get your finger printing done? And do these companies reimburse you for getting this done? Thanks.

 

[Sgt_PaxHauler]

Found this from another thread. Is this information still accurate?:

Do you get your TNC card at the same location you get your finger printing done? And do these companies reimburse you for getting this done? Thanks.

The answer to both questions is no. When I did my fingerprints for my TNC card, I paid for it out of pocket. About a day or two after you do the fingerprinting, you can call or go down to the Austin Transportation Department office at 1111 Rio Grande and pick up your card.

 

[Recoup]

When you go to the Austin Transportation Dept., they will ask you to list the companies you'll drive for. The woman who helped me advised me to list everyone--she obviously had been instructed not to prompt me with names (no favoritism) but she suggested I google "Austin ride share" and list everyone that came up.

Also, take a rideshare to their office... There's no parking!

I had to pay for my own fingerprinting... I had the service code (11GYVN) but that's not a voucher or promo code. I think it just tells Identigo to send results to the city.