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RSG055: What RideAustin Has Learned After a Million Rideshare Trips

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When Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin, Texas in 2016, a whole host of rideshare start-ups jumped on the opportunity to serve passengers and drivers.  Now that the dust has settled, RideAustin has emerged as one of the top options for drivers and riders but they bring a unique twist to ridesharing.  They’re actually a non-profit and although they face many of the same operational and logistic challenges as other rideshare companies, their mission is a bit different.

In today’s episode, I’ll be chatting with RideAustin’s CEO Andy Tryba about what it means to be a non-profit rideshare start-up, what it’s like to operate in the absence of Uber and what does it really take to keep things running smoothly on the back end of a rideshare company.

New Lyft Driver - Earn 1500:week

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.

Have you heard about RideAustin? I interview Andy Tryba, CEO of RideAustin, on the behind the scenes of operating a rideshare company.

Find your next ride with FarePilot

FarePilot shows you hotspots to help you get more rides. Download it here.

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7 Things I Learned From Our Week In Austin

When Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin last month, they made it seem like the world was going to end without them.  And while there was tumult in the few weeks after their departure, no less than seven eight nine rideshare start-ups have since moved in to Austin to try and fill that void.

Last week, Christian and I headed to the capital of Texas to talk with local politicians, meet with some of the start-ups looking to take Uber/Lyft’s place and, of course, hear from drivers.  We learned a lot about the situation on the ground, and today I’m going to summarize it all.

Christian and I meeting with Austin Councilman Don Zimmerman

Christian and I meeting with Austin Councilman Don Zimmerman (photo cred: RSG Reader Anthony N)

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RSG Special Report: How’s Austin Doing Without Uber And Lyft?

Harry here.  The battle in Austin has been a huge story over the past month, so Christian and I decided to head to the city that ‘Keeps it Weird’ for four days to see what life is like now that Uber and Lyft are gone.  It turns out that there are a slew of rideshare companies looking to take Uber/Lyft’s place, and they’re doing a lot better than we expected.

Today, RSG senior contributor Christian Perea breaks down what it takes for these companies to make a name for themselves and reviews seven of the biggest options in Austin: Wingz, Get Me, Fare, Arcade City, RideAustin, Fasten and InstaRyde.

Austin rideshare is on fire right now. The Big Two are gone and watching from the sidelines with a nervous glance as new companies rampage through a market that they have spent tens of millions of dollars to build. Also, after a month without any real options, passengers and drivers alike are being presented with a bevy of rideshare apps seeking to fill the void. It’s all quite exciting.

The Rideshare Guy Goes to Texas

We went to find out for ourselves EXACTLY what is going on with rideshare in Austin, Texas.

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Why Uber And Lyft Are Leaving Austin

Harry here.  Big news broke over the weekend that Uber and Lyft are leaving Austin, Texas.  Today, RSG senior contributor Christian Perea breaks down exactly what went wrong and why Uber and Lyft are such sore losers when it comes to dealing with the government.

Over the weekend, 56% of Austin citizens rejected a proposition put forward by Uber and Lyft to overturn local TNC un-friendly regulations.  Proposition 1 would have repealed a city ordinance enacted by the Austin City Council in December to require mandatory fingerprint-based background checks of  all TNC drivers. The December ordinance also required the display of trade dress on vehicles, prohibited stopping in traffic lanes to pickup or drop-off passengers, and the sharing of some data with the city.

In the months leading up to the vote, Lyft and Uber formed a Political Action Committee called “Ridesharing Works for Austin” and poured a little over $9 million into it so they could carpet bomb the airwaves with messages to support their measure and send the city legislature packing with their tails between their legs. In contrast, the PAC against Proposition 1 only managed to raise $100,000. It didn’t matter though, because Uber and Lyft lost anyways.

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