Total Transit Introduces Arizona's Only Legal RideShare Service

PHOENIX, Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Total Transit, parent company of Discount Cab, has introduced Arizona's first and only fully-insured legal RideShare service accessible through the Total Transit App.

Available only through the app, RideShare vehicles are personally owned and operated, fully commercially insured and legal, with experienced drivers who have passed verified background checks, as well as drug and alcohol screenings. This program allows drivers to utilize their personal vehicles to provide legal RideShare.

"Our new RideShare service supports the sharing economy while adhering to Arizona's regulation in for-hire transportation," said Mike Pinckard, Total Transit president. "We have figured out a way to offer RideShare the right way—by making it fully insured, legal and compliant with state law—and look to other rideshare providers to do the same."   

The company is currently recruiting RideShare drivers and will hold a recruitment event from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Embassy Suites at 2630 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix. Company officials will be on hand to administer drug screenings, as well as background checks and vehicle pre-inspections. In addition, officials with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures will be on hand to complete the vehicle inspection process and certify new drivers for commercial insurance coverage.

"We have always said we try to make it easy for companies to do business here in Arizona, as long as they align with the public and passenger safety requirements that are in place," said Shawn Marquez, acting director of the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures. "Total Transit is doing just that, and we are happy to support them in their new legal RideShare offering. We would do the same for any company that complies with the law. Public safety is paramount and cannot be compromised, and we support any ridesharing effort as long as it does not put the drivers, passengers and the general public at risk."

Users of the Total Transit App will also be able to choose from a variety of additional vehicle options: Discount Cab, black car and SUV; vans and wheelchair-accessible vans will be available in the coming weeks as well. "We've listened to our customers and have added more vehicle options to our fleet in order to meet their needs," Pinckard said.

The Total Transit App provides a convenient, safe and secure way to request a ride. Features include real-time location of available vehicles, a list of vehicle categories and prices, and current estimated wait times for each category. Passengers can enter a destination for a fare estimate prior to pick-up.

Passengers can also see vehicle movement as they wait for the driver, along with the driver's photo, name and vehicle description. They also have the ability to call their driver through a safety measure that keeps both the customer and driver phone numbers hidden.

Customers can store one or more credit cards in the system and choose a card for payment at the time of booking. When the ride is over, payment is automatic. For fares with passenger-determined tip, the customer has up to an hour to change the amount of the tip from the default amount.

The app is available for free download in the iTunes Store and Google Play. Those who currently have the Discount Cab app can simply update it in their Settings; current app users will be prompted to create a new account and add additional personal information to make their account current.

Total Transit App users can receive 25 percent off their first ride by entering the promo code ARIZONA.

The app has been in development since Total Transit acquired San Diego-based GoFastCab in September 2013, leading to the creation of a high-tech best-of-breed mobile app suite and platform called 2PointB. The new app is powered by 2PointB's technology. Josh Komenda, co-founder of GoFastCab, is principal and CEO of 2PointB and is leveraging his extensive experience in software development, wireless technology and ground transportation.

About Total Transit

Total Transit, Inc., a privately owned Arizona based corporation, was founded in 1984, and offers comprehensive transportation management, private and public transportation services. Headquartered in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona, Total Transit has grown into one of the premier transportation companies in the country, with operations throughout Arizona and in several other states. For the last 30 years, Total Transit has delivered outstanding service levels and has developed innovative and unique transportation solutions, such as mobility/wheelchair-accommodating and eco-friendly transportation for its clientele.

Total Transit is also locally known in Arizona as the parent company of Discount Cab, one of the largest cab companies in the United States, operating a fleet of more than 1,100 cabs, including the largest fleet of hybrid Toyota Prius cabs in North America. In fact, more than 85% of the Discount Cab fleet is made up of these highly fuel-efficient hybrids. 

For more information on Total Transit, visit www.TotalTransit.com.

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SOURCE Total Transit

Related Links

http://www.totaltransit.com