CINCINNATI — Uber and Lyft have dominated the rideshare market for a decade now.
But a new competitor called Wridz has just launched in the Cincinnati area, and it claims it will offer a better experience for both drivers and passengers, at lower rates.
Dustin Peters is driving for Wridz, which has just started service this week in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky, giving him his first passengers.
"I love it," he told us during a ride through downtown. "My first customers were a couple, I took them from Fort Thomas to Covington." He says his second fare was a ride from downtown to the airport.
How it is different
Ryan Gettys, who owns the Cincinnati Wridz franchise, says this is the fourth city to bring in the Austin, Texas-based startup, which has been operating in Austin in beta form for a year.
Gettys claims it is better than other services because it's membership based, better connecting drivers with passengers.
"You'll be able to request your driver, so you will be able to develop relationships with your driver or your clientele," he explained.
For instance, passengers will be able to get the same driver to bring them to a weekly doctor visit, if they wish.
Wridz claims it will be about 10 percent cheaper than the established rideshare services, due to lower overhead, as there is no massive company to support.
And the payments go directly to the driver, which Gettys says will mean better pay for drivers.
"These drivers get to keep 100% of their fares and their tips, and they just pay us a membership fee of $100 dollars a month," he said. "It's going to almost double their income."
Wridz is looking for both drivers and passengers in the area, which he says for now covers "Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton, and down to CVG.
It's a cutthroat business, but Wridz thinks it has what it takes to survive.
Wridz hopes to become a nationwide service in the next few years, but you can now try it out in Cincinnatiat Wridz.com, so you don't waste your money.
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