A Nonprofit Uber? Ride Austin Promises Better Driver Pay, Charity Donations

Earlier this month, Uber and Lyft left the Texas capital of Austin, but a new venture is stepping up to fill the void while adding a philanthropic twist.

Starting yesterday, a new ride-sharing service is on the App Store, and, unlike Uber and Lyft, it will be a nonprofit that will give back to the community.

Ride Austin is a new ride-sharing service started by tech entrepreneur Joe Liemandt. He’s the CEO of Trilogy, an automotive and consumer electronics software company. When Austinites voted against a referendum, ultimately requiring Uber and Lyft drivers to be fingerprinted, the two companies left the city in protest. That didn’t dissuade Liemandt, as he saw an opportunity to bring a different flavor to the the ride-sharing space.