In May, Uber and Lyft left Austin, which actually wasn't the first time they left a city.
If you assist someone who heavily relies on these apps for rides, I wanted to share some helpful alternatives to keep handy as recommendations for your principal to use. Not all of these apps are available in every city, so remember to check out where they operate in advance of recommending them to the person you support.
Avoid surge pricing with this app. You also can request both immediate and scheduled pickups as well as add preferred drivers to your account to request for future rides.
This app shows your fare in real-time and there's no surge pricing. Fasten drivers go through a company background check as well.
App for booking taxis that doesn't have surge pricing. You can also track exactly where your taxi is.
The drivers go through a background check and there's no surge pricing. You can also schedule a range of vehicles, including limos, on demand.
The app also provides delivery services and can even pick up large furniture if you request a truck.
App to reserve a nearby taxi.
Non-profit ride sharing in Austin. Passengers can round up their fare to donate to a variety of charities.
This app lets you choose your ride and vehicle based on price, vehicle and ETA. There's also an option to share your ride to lower the cost even more.
This app connects you with people traveling in the same direction so you can get the best rates.
This app allows riders to choose a personal car or taxi. They pride themselves on providing lower fares than Uber or Lyft and are the only transportation app to have a card swiper for payments.
This app only allows users to book rides to the airport with the exception of Austin. The app in Austin allows for transport to other destinations (it has the same name, here's a link to more info: Wingz in Austin). For all cities, the rides can be booked in advance and have the convenience of a set flat fee with no surge pricing.
A planned ride-hailing service allows riders to hail a driver through a smartphone app. It's similar to Uber and Lyft's offerings but without surge pricing.
The below apps are not specifically ride sharing or taxi services, but could still be useful to keep on your radar:
Drive cars by the hour or day. You do need to join in advance of using the service in order to get a card that will unlock a Car2Go (similar to Zipcar), but this service is great since it is worldwide.
Rent cars by the hour from people around you. The sign up is quick and is all done online.
Drive cars by the hour or day. You do need to join in advance of using the service in order to get a card that will unlock a ZipCar (similar to Car2Go), but this service is great since it is worldwide.
Do you use any alternatives to Uber or Lyft? Please add your favorite apps in the comments below!
