COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new rideshare app called, WINICabs just launched in Columbus. The new app puts all the city’s taxi drivers under one app.
The app is now bringing back hope for many taxi drivers who have been struggling for the last couple of years because of other rideshare apps.
Mateyas Amedmariam has been in the taxi service for a while.
“I can say almost 23 years,” he said.
He started as a driver and now owns his fleet of cabs called Certified Zip Mobility 2Go.
“The only problem we have is we’re not connected. We need to be connected,” said Amedmariam.
For the last couple of years, it’s been tough for cab companies. Mostly because of other rideshare apps including Uber and Lyft.
The new app, WINICabs, is now creating new opportunities for some taxi drivers.
The app, which stands for “When I need it, where I need it” puts all the city’s taxi drivers under one umbrella.
“It gives the taxis, essentially the same technology that the ride shares have,” said WINI Technologies CEO Paul O’Loughlin Kennedy.
There are some differences with the WINI cab app compared to some other rideshare apps. For one, customers can still pay with cash but there is a credit card option through the app. Taxi drivers also have to undergo several background checks. Plus, with WINI cabs there’s no surge pricing.
“It’s always been a fragmented business with companies not really cooperating with each other. But we now can give them the opportunity to work together and to take back some of the business they lost to the rideshares,” said O’Loughlin Kennedy
The app is exclusive to Columbus however it was created in Ireland. O’Loughlin Kennedy said if the app does well in Columbus, he’s hoping to expand to other states.
Source: https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/new-ride-share-app-brings-back-hope-for-columbus-taxi-drivers