Fact Check: Is Wridz a scam?

There appears to be a new player in the game that is Texas Rideshare. They claim to be the “evolution of rideshare”. They even claim that the driver keeps 100% of what the rider pays. Sound too good to be true?

The driver must pay a “small” subscription fee of $55 a month. As a 5-year part-time rideshare driver, I can honestly say this is a small fee, even for part-time drivers and this really shouldn’t break the bank. For many drivers, this leads us to believe this is a scam like Vibe Rides. A key difference between Vibe Rides and Wridz is the fact that Wridz has not let their license with the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation lapse (as shown in the screenshot below). That to me is a relief. Let’s also remember, Vibe Rides was more of a MLM. Wridz is far from that given, you pay $55 no matter what.

The subscription model should not be a turn off though. Why? Because you pay $55, no matter how many rides you get. If you go back through your last 5 rides on Uber or Lyft, and you look at what the rider paid out of pocket vs. what you received, you will see that $55 is met fairly quickly.

The good things about Wridz?

– The subscription model for starters. Paying a flat rate upfront is going to lead to more earnings.

– Daily background checks on drivers. – This is awesome because you get the bad drivers off as soon as they are caught. Not sure how they are pulling this one off as they can be costly, but I am sure they actually do it. This sounds like it is more of a monitoring system, rather than a full background check, but nonetheless, it is better than what others have.

– In-person interviews with your car, with drug testing. – I am not sure how in-depth these interviews are, considering we are not going to be employees and that can be open them up for discrimination lawsuits, but meeting someone allows those “creepy driver” feelings to come out before they start to creep out riders. I can’t tell you how many riders have had drivers that gave off a “creep” vibe. Background checks are good, but they only work if that person was caught.

The car inspection is a must. A couple weeks back I took a Uber, and the seats were stained beyond repair. It puzzled me as to why this driver didn’t try and cover it with something as simple as a seat cover. Inspecting vehicles will lead to a better ride experience for the rider which will make them come back.

What concerns me about Wridz?

– 10% lower rates compared with the competition. – I get it. You need riders to try it out and what better way than to make it cheaper right? After all, this is the main reason why Uber and Lyft were able to enter the Austin market again after being on nearly a year’s hiatus as they fought the TNC law tooth and nail. Having higher prices and paying drivers better sadly led to half a dozen companies shutting their doors.

Yes, I understand as a driver I will still get paid more because drivers keep 100% of the earnings. That is not the issue.

The problem is, Uber and Lyft have no problem lowering their prices by 10%. We have seen it time and time again. My suggestion? Match their prices, but keep it a flat rate no matter what. i.e. no surging. The problem here as you know will be a lack of drivers for Wridz after a large event or that 2 am bar surge. This one is a bit trickier of a problem at first, but if Wridz gains popularity, drivers will not see many pings on Uber and Lyft in times of high demand. They will log back into Wridz eventually because guess what? If Wridz never surges, the only way riders pay for Uber or Lyft surge prices is if they are in a rush. Trust me, they will wait. (Of course, let’s not forget how riders complained of wait times when Uber and Lyft left Austin.)

Wridz – if you are seeing this – I beg you not to lower the base fares for the drivers sake. Uber and Lyft will eventually go into a pricing war against Wridz.

Anyhow, if you wanted to skip over all of that to find out if Wridz is a scam, it is not. In fact, it is a franchise. Similar to McDonald’s, you can open up your own region. Now, we just need someone to bring it to Houston. Currently, Wridz is based in Austin, operates in Corpus Christi and Lubbock.