Ridesharing in Austin: The Best Services to Get Around Town

Does Austin Have Rideshare Services?

Yes, Austin offers rideshare services. The city has embraced ridesharing as a popular mode of transportation alongside traditional private and public transit options, with services like Uber and Lyft being widely used by locals and visitors.

As Austin’s population surged in the 2010s, the timely arrival of rideshare apps provided much-needed relief to the city’s congested roads, creating flexible job opportunities and offering safe transport alternatives.

The history of ridesharing in Austin has seen ups and downs, including a temporary absence of major providers like Uber and Lyft. However, these services have since returned and continue to evolve, playing a significant role in Austin’s transportation ecosystem as the city grows.

Are Uber and Lyft Shut Down in Austin?

Traditional ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft removed their services from the Austin market in 2016 after a dispute about how these disruptive technology companies should operate and compensate the independent contractors who drive for these apps.

After about a year of a hiatus, Uber and Lyft returned to Austin at full strength, without enacting any changes to its structure.

Riders can now access Uber and many other ridesharing and long-term car rental services, convenient for both tourists and residents.

While the big-name delivery and pickup apps left town, plenty of other services existed and continue to serve the population of Austin and visitors to the city.

Shuttle services, rideshare rentals, car rentals, and other transportation agencies make the ride and carsharing scene a competitive market.

Ridesharing Options

In Austin, there are a variety of ridesharing options. Some of the most popular are listed below. There are many options available outside of Uber and Lyft.

Uber

Now back in Austin, Uber has become a household name for ridesharing services.

Riders choose nearby drivers to get them to their destination, all through a free mobile app.

Drivers are regular folks like you, and fees are calculated by length, with other additional fees attached.

RideAustin

RideAustin sprang up in 2016 as an initial response to the pullout from Uber and Lyft.

RideAustin proudly delivered what the Austin voters wanted and was the only Austin ridesharing agency to fingerprint 100% of its drivers and had a zero-tolerance policy for drugs.

RideAustin operated its service as a nonprofit, tailoring itself as a safe option catered to its specific Austin community.

Riders were also allowed to round up their fares to donate to local charities.

RideAustin officially closed its doors in summer 2020.

Migo

Migo offers a full spectrum rideshare service, offering seamless connections to ridesharing, car sharing, limos, taxis, and bike service.

According to the Migo website, of the 61 diverse ways to move throughout downtown Austin, 39 of them can be found on the Migo app.

Vonlane

Vonlane provides a specific service, offering luxury motor coaches in the Austin area and up into Oklahoma.

These motorcoaches offer half the seats of a standard motor coach, providing maximum legroom and personal space.

This service is similar to Blacklane, one of the nation’s top professional chauffeur providers.

Ubiquitous Driver

Services from Ubiquitous Driver are limited to luxury car rentals for individuals and small groups, with a knowledgeable personal driver.

These black car rides offer more than a taxi service, with a driver offering customized upgrades to your trip.

Only the most premium cars and SUVs are available.

Responsible Ride

Responsible Ride is a shuttle service, perfect for large groups and short trips alike.

This service is similar to VanGo, a popular shuttle app around the country.

This service requires a 24-hour advance reservation and is not available on demand.

Carpool-like rides are widely available and are often used for late-night crowds and those traveling to and from the airport.

Shared Car Options

If you’re open to driving someone else’s car, there are some more options available for you below.

Fasten

Fasten was founded at the same time as Ride Austin as a response to the departure of Uber and Lyft from Austin in 2016.

Fasten did not survive once Uber and Lyft returned to Austin, and the company folded in 2018.

Zipcar

Zipcar offers cars you can drive on-demand.

Using the Zipcar app, hopeful drivers can reserve a vehicle with ultimate freedom without the stress of car ownership and maintenance.

Rental rates for Zipcar are affordable, making this service available to even the most budget-friendly travelers.

Buy a membership for additional perks and cost-saving, like free gas and roadside assistance.

Car2go Austin

While Car2go is no longer available in Austin as of 2019, this service is still thriving in New York City, Washington D.C., and Seattle.

Car2go offers a similar system to Zipcar, allowing drivers to access and drive away in a car using the app, including this app’s signature Smart car.

Summarizing The Battle Between Austin and Rideshare Companies

Within about ten years of founding the most popular rideshare companies, Uber and Lyft, Austin blew the whistle on some of the operating practices of these disruptive technology companies.

As with any groundbreaking innovation, ethical and legal concerns arose over time.

In 2016, voters in Austin decided what they wanted for the future of rideshare companies and how they interact with the residents and visitors to the city.

One significant change voters wanted to see was background checks for all drivers as an increased safety measure for all participants.

Voters also wanted these tech companies to disclose how they compensate their workers, including Uber and Lyft’s fees from each ride.

Bad publicity for these apps still endures their choice to classify workers as independent contractors, not employees.

Based on this response from voters, Uber and Lyft decided to leave this market instead of complying with the voters’ wishes.

These apps have also pulled out of other Texas service areas, including Houston in 2014 and San Antonio in 2015, both over fingerprinting.

In the one-year break where Uber and Lyft left Austin, other grassroots rideshare apps sprang up to meet Austin’s demand for residents and tourists, including during its signature festival, South by Southwest.

These grassroots apps could not handle the market, and most folded.

In 2017, Uber and Lyft returned to Austin after the government passed state-level legislation to remove regulatory barriers for ridesharing companies and allow Uber and Lyft to continue sharing little transparency with users and not offering employee benefits to its drivers.

Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft are currently operating at full strength after a triumphant return to the market in 2017.

As the gig and sharing economies evolve in our modern society, similar options have also popped up to help people get to where they need to go.

Wrapping Up

There is a wide variety of rideshare and rental options to help you focus more on having an unforgettable time in Austin and less on how you’ll get there.

There’s a rideshare option for everyone from global brands to local, grassroots options for safe and convenient travel.