media reports.
RideAustin says it will comply with all Austin ridesharing regulations; its drivers will be fingerprinted and vehicles will be inspected. “RideAustin will be completely transparent about all aspects of its operation and open the data up for research and study,” Baer writes. “In a few months we’ll all have a lot more answers and be able to have a more informed debate.”
Among the topics to be studied are how many drivers and riders make up the Austin market, or how each uses ride-hailing services, or how to measure safety of ride-hailing versus traditional taxi services. (Whether fingerprinting drivers actually means a safer ride was a hot topic of debate during the lead up to the referendum May 7.)
Since then, a number of other ride-hailing services have entered the Austin market, including GetMe, Boston-based Fasten, and Arcade City, among others.
But for many in Austin’s tech community, the departure of the two market leaders in such a dramatic fashion has led much hand-wringing because of worries that an Uber-and-Lyft-free city suggests a tarnishing of Austin’s reputation as an innovative community.
Video tales of woe—from alleged abusive actions by drivers to pictures of taped up credit card readers in taxis—have filled social media. And Baer says he believes Austin residents are less safe because “thousands” of black-market drivers are picking up riders via Facebook or Craigslist.
Tech names from outside Texas have weighed in on their thoughts about the vote, including Y Combinator founder Paul Graham. “Austin has zero chance of being a serious startup hub without Uber and Lyft,” Graham tweeted.
Those sorts of judgments didn’t sit well with everyone in Austin. “Here’s the thing that bugs me. Austin is already a tech hub,” wrote Austin-based entrepreneur Arlo Gilbert. “I haven’t seen a ranking list that doesn’t include Austin in the top five in many years. Sometimes we even beat San Francisco, especially if you factor in quality of life.”
