AUSTIN – About a half-dozen ride-hailing apps are trying to pick up where Uber and Lyft left off. The two companies stopped accepting trips within the Austin city limits May 9 after Austin voters rejected Proposition 1.
Unlikely Allies
The city’s latest creation, Ride Austin, is a homegrown nonprofit that has people from both sides of the Proposition 1 debate coming together.
The app plans to launch in mid-June, but began recruiting drivers Monday. Ride Austin will only accept trips within “Downtown Austin,” although its creators said that area has not been defined. Joe Liemandt said Ride Austin will depend on word-of-mouth to reach the city’s 22.6 million annual visitors.
"That's going to be a big issue is: how do we let all the visitors know," Liemandt said. "I expect we are going to be big in the Austin airport."
Liemandt said Ride Austin was created the day after Proposition 1. Several opponents were present at Monday’s announcement, including Ride Austin’s new communication director, Joe Deshotel. He held the same position with the Travis County Democratic Party until earlier this month.
Outspoken Proposition 1 supporter Joshua Baer was also present Monday. He is the founder of Capital Factory, an Austin-based tech incubator.
"I think we have to figure out what's the best way to move forward," Baer said. "What's next? What's after Prop 1? It just can't stay the way it is. We need a solution now."