Uber and Lyft, two of Austin’s most notable RIDESHARING companies were kicked out of the City of Austin following a testy vote on May 8, 2016. Austin voted 56% to 44% against Proposition 1. The divide was over fingerprint requirement for drivers – even though (to my knowledge) there were NO problems with the drivers, their vehicles or the company itself. It was a “head-shaker” for sure.
Since that unfortunate day, there have been so many other rideshare companies moving in to Austin. They include:
v Fare
v Fasten
v Get Me
v Wingz
v zTrip
Ride Finder.io IS NOT a rideshare company, but it does attempt to streamline all of the various rideshare programs in Austin by helping to keep “riders” up to date on the services available and compares charges. Honestly, I never used it, so I don’t know if it works.
I have kept up with some of the Reviews on the various services now available since Uber and Lyft were kicked out of Austin and reviews are not nearly as wonderful as Uber or Lyft NOR or the services as inexpensive.
REVIEWS ARE A GOOD THING…
“Took one ride a few weeks ago. This morning doing some online banking I've discovered I've since "taken" a number of others, for which I've been duly charged. What a shame that I never ordered nor took another ride after the first one. Guess they just liked the recurring revenue so much they decided to keep charging my card periodically.
Not cool, RideAustin.”
FROM ANOTHER PATRON
“I or my friends have tried most if not all of the rideshares and they all have serious shortcomings. Will be glad when uber returns. I understand they and lyft are going to have the state of Texas politicians pass a bill this coming session which will create uniform regulations for the entire state which the local politicians cannot override. I hope that happens and it can't happen too soon.”
AND THEN…
“We consistently used Uber and Lyft before. Now, Fare is exactly like Lyft where you tip on top of your ride. Fasten is just like Uber. One price. They are slightly higher in total cost than their predecessors. I have taken them both enough to tell you they are the exact same experience as Uber and Lyft. Hopefully you'll have a good experience with them too.”
NEXT…
“I or my friends have tried most if not all of therideshares and they all have serious shortcomings. Will be glad when uber returns. I understand they and lyft are going to have the state of texas politicians pass a bill this coming session which will create uniform regulations for the entire state which the local politicians cannot override. I hope that happens and it can't happen too soon.”
FINALLY...
Will Uber and Lyft come back to Austin? Maybe! There is an election coming up (we all know about the National one, but know about your Local election as well) – GET OUT AND VOTE. There are a number of contested Austin City Council seats and that could be a game changer for Ridesharing services. And if that does not turn out well (for Uber and Lyft), then there is the Texas Legislature which begins session in January 2017 and they could override Austin's ridesharing regulations.
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