by admin | Jun 8, 2018 | Media
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Heading to Saturday’s Kenny Chesney concert at Arrowhead Stadium? Listen up: there is a new way to beat the traffic rush. A new transportation partnership aims to make getting to and from the stadium easier. The company also hopes the plan will be in place right in time for this season’s Chiefs games.
It’s called zTrip. Registered transportation providers, cabs and shuttles, will drive around the metro to pick people up and drop them off at Arrowhead for Saturday’s Kenny Chesney concert. The drivers will use an express lane through Gate One, will drop people off at the southeast corner of the stadium, and then pick them up after the show in the same place.
zTrip CEO Bill George said, “There’s no fee for the customers coming in, they’ll have a direct lane coming out.”
When concert-goers leave the stadium, they’ll head right back to the place they got dropped off. George said they’ll find 30 zTrip staff members and a rotating line of hundreds of zTrip drivers ready to take people home on the spot.
“All of our guests will get express out of Gate 7 and not wait with any other traffic,” George said.
He said you can book through the website, call them on the phone, or download the app. George said riders will know exactly what they’re paying.
“We don’t price surge. It’s the same price coming out here as it is going home.”
George said, like any cab ride, the cost will depend on where you’re coming from. He said it averages about $2.10 a mile. He claims, unlike other ride-sharing services, zTrip is accessible.
“You actually have somebody you can talk to, find out what it’s going to cost to where you’re going, what are your best options,” George continued.
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by admin | Jun 8, 2018 | Media
Those in Boulder, Colorado, can now catch some zTrips.
The release offers the following on a company that is moving into the future after ride-hailing apps turned the tide of consumer expectations: “zTrip, a new innovative taxi service will launch with a fleet of 60 vehicles in the Boulder market today. zTrip combines the trust and safety of a taxi service, with the ease and speed of an on-demand car service app, providing benefits not available from any other competing ‘Car Hailing’ service in the area.”
As Daily Camera reports, the local taxis have been repurposed to make way for an innovation that is akin to an Uber service that is becoming all the more ubiquitous in major cities around the world.
The report states: “As of Tuesday, the fleet of Yellow Cabs in the county are now the zTrip fleet – 60 cars (mostly Scion XDs) that can be hailed via smartphone app.”
This unveiling takes place at a rather auspicious time for the budding business. We previously reported on 100 Uber drivers striking in New York City over a decrease in fares.
This is where companies like zTrip might be able to step in and reinvent the classic taxi model.
The release lists myriad ways that it differentiates itself from a company like Uber.
Here are a few posted in the release: “No surge pricing: The same low price every time, whether it’s 2 p.m. or 2 a.m.; Professional and licensed drivers with full fingerprint background checks: You don’t have to worry about who is driving you home; 24/7 live customer service: You can talk to a live support team member anytime.”
And, the most pertinent to travelers, this is relegated to the Boulder area.
Bill George, President of zTrip Boulder, offered thoughts on what could be a ray of hope for other companies that wish to wiggle their way into the Uber spotlight, stealing some fares back from ride-sharing companies that continue to dominate the market.
George proclaimed, “Unlike our competitors, we aren’t fighting background checks, we are embracing them.”
The president continued while highlighting the obvious safety features of zTrip: “As a parent of college students I don’t want my kids ever driving after they have been drinking. However, I am also very concerned about who might pull up to drive them home – zTrip provides the solution to put parents at ease, without sacrificing the ‘rideshare experience’ that students are accustomed to.”
At the moment you can hail a zTrip car on the street like a classic cab or by phone or in-phone app.
And there is a bit of monetary incentive at the moment: “To promote a safe ride home on Valentine’s Day, and honor CU Boulder’s 140th anniversary, zTrip will give away 140 free rides up to $25 in Boulder over the weekend (2/12/16 – 2/14/16).”
As previously mentioned, San Francisco’s Yellow Cab succumbed to bankruptcy while citing the rise of Uber and Lyft for its demise.
In Boulder, they are finding a way to change with the times. The taxi isn’t dead as long as you find a way to repurpose the fleet for the kind of trip commensurate with a new generation.
ZTrip may just be showing the industry the way home.
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by admin | Jun 8, 2018 | Media
Originally published on May 12, 2016 7:30 pm
Austin is facing its first weekend in more than two years without Uber or Lyft. Both companies pulled out Monday to protest voter rejection of Proposition 1, which would have eliminated mandatory fingerprint-based background checks.
Opponents of Prop 1 responded to Uber and Lyft’s threat to leave by arguing that if there is money to be made on ride-hailing in Austin, other companies will replace them. The city’s taxis are not able to meet demand during peak hours and special events, according to one study, but anyone who’s tried to call a cab on a Saturday night prior to the arrival of Uber and Lyft could tell you that.
Three transportation network companies are now operating in Austin. Wingz is only driving people to and from the airport, for now. GetMe says it’s bringing on more drivers, but will not be able to meet demand the first weekend since Uber and Lyft left.
The third ride-hailing company in Austin has not received as much attention. The app zTrip (not to be confused with the DJ and producer Z-Trip) was developed by the transportation company Transdev. Outside of Austin, it offers its range of services in Kansas City, Denver, Boulder, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Orlando.
Unlike Uber and Lyft, zTrip does not hire people to drive their own vehicles. Instead, it allows you to hail or schedule a taxi, limousine, black car service and in the case of Austin, large-capacity shuttle vans. Like Uber and Lyft, you see the vehicle approaching in the app, and you can pay with your smartphone.
The company has only 140 vehicles accessible through zTrip in Austin. Its president, Bill George, says that number will grow quickly, but only by the hundreds, not the thousands of vehicles estimated to have been available through Uber and Lyft. However, George says zTrip is committed to complying with all local regulations, including fingerprint-based background checks.
We spoke to George and asked him some questions about zTrip.
It seems like you are trying to bridge the gap between taxis and transportation network companies?
Absolutely, and that’s really what defines us and sets us apart from the other TNCs. We bring you all the convenience of a taxicab, where you can just hop in and choose to pay the driver through a credit card or cash in the car, or you can certainly use the app [to pay].
Where we really set ourselves apart, too, is that we do not surge price, and we also allow you the opportunity to hail a car right now, but you can also order one in advance.
Without surge pricing, how do you incentivize drivers to work downtown during times of peak demand, which are typically Friday and Saturday nights, when many of their potential customers could be drunk and possibly unpleasant to deal with?
Philosophically, I’ve always had a problem with surge pricing. In some cases, it will get a few drivers more on the road, but what it’s really designed to do is manage demand.
My whole career has been spent trying to convince you to leave your keys at home and let us take you some place and bring you home. If it costs you $15 to get someplace, I don’t think it should cost you $45 to get back home. Our per-mile rate on a daily basis is a little bit higher than the TNCs, but the rate is the rate.
It’s not a good situation when you have drivers living for the surge. That’s what creates unsafe situations. Drivers are very smart and learn how to game the system, and customers become smart. All the sudden they put their [pickup location] in for a block away where there is no surge, and they tell their driver to come and meet them.
Up front, transparent pricing, I think, is a better model.
But none of Austin’s 915 taxis is available on the app.
We started 10-10 Taxi in Round Rock about two years ago, and we’ve got 70 or 80 cars up there that are involved in that.
When the TNC regulations came out, we filed for a TNC permit in Austin. Previously, because we were only based in Round Rock, we could only pick up trips in Round Rock. With our TNC permit, we’re now able to pick up within the [Austin] city limits.
In addition to our super shuttle and executive car businesses down there [in Austin], we have over 140 vehicles. We are on the verge of making a major announcement of adding another 500 vehicles on within the next three weeks. In addition, we’ve got other drivers that we’re adding.
Since the news of Saturday’s election broke, I think we’ve had about 600 driver applications come in online.
When do you intend to announce the news of the additional 500 vehicles?
We think we’re going to have an announcement next week.
We are coming up on the first weekend in more than two years with no Uber or Lyft in Austin. Will you be able to meet demand?
No. It’s going to be a ramp-up period. To say that we can get all those vehicles replaced in that quick of a time is not feasible. We know that we’re adding daily, and we’ll continue to do so. We’re working to do it in a measured way to make sure that the drivers we’re bringing on board meet our standards and are in compliance with what the city’s mandated.
How long will it take?
I think it’s conservatively an 8- to 10-week ramp-up.
Have you experienced an increase in consumer demand since Uber and Lyft pulled out of Austin on Monday?
Absolutely. Since word came out officially on Sunday and with the pullout on Monday, we’ve seen a tremendous jump in our volume. That’s why we’re working to get other partnerships involved so we can solve the demand issues.
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