Open season on Austin for ride-hailing services

Now that Uber and Lyft have pulled out of Austin the situation has a lot of people trying to figure out how to get around. There are some alternative services whose owners don't mind the fingerprinting rule or, picking up the slack.

Diane young has been driving for Lyft for a year. After hearing the news about Prop One, she is left wondering what to do next.

"I really haven't thought about that at all. My goal is to try and stay with the company I'm working with now, Lyft, and help find a way to this solution, hoping we can work with the city council,” Young said.

She says many people she knows depended on Uber or Lyft to get around town.

“I have a friend who is blind and has three children and that is the main way she is able to leave her home and go anywhere,” she said.

Uber and Lyft may be gone but there are plenty of up and coming services itching to take a bite out of the Austin market's demand. These are services that plan on obeying the city council's rules.

“It's been unprecedented, the number of sign ups and downloads we've received,” Jonathan Laramy, co-founder of “Get Me,” said.

The company launched in Austin last year, but now that Uber and Lyft have gone for now, they're gaining lots of traction.  Laramy says his notifications are blowing up, and drivers are signing up at a rate of about 300 to 400 per hour.

“There's another ding, there's another ding, and another, he described.

There are others like Z-Trip who have always been here, but just started ride hailing operations.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport teamed up with a ride hailing app called “Wingz” for those needing a lift to and from the airport. There's also  Hail-a-Cab, and Fare, which is coming to Austin in about a week.

“We feel we can be compliant with the law and get this off the ground. So we will be onboarding drivers in Austin,” Michael Leto, CEO of Fare, said.

“We saw it as a great opportunity. I think it's the right thing. All our drivers have always been fingerprint checked,” Billy Carter, president of Z-Trip, said.

Fare says even if Uber and Lyft come back, they will stay in Austin. Another company out of Tulsa, called Tride, is considering coming to Austin as well, but hasn't made a final decision. The city looks like it can become an open marketplace for transportation network companies.

For Drivers:
Z-Trip
Fare
GetMe
Hail-a-Cab: can be found in your app store.