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Flywheel Makes Getting to the Airport Even Easier with Advance Booking Option
[July 23, 2014]

Flywheel Makes Getting to the Airport Even Easier with Advance Booking Option


SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)--

Flywheel, the app that lets you request a cab, track its location in real-time, and pay automatically with your smartphone, today announced advance booking for airport rides. This new capability, launched in direct response to market demand, now allows Flywheel customers to pre-book a ride to the airport, making it easier to manage travel and plan ahead.

After extremely successful beta testing in San Francisco the past two weeks, all Flywheel customers in the city of San Francisco can now choose to book a ride to the airport in advance, using the latest version of the Flywheel app from the iOS App Store and the Google (News - Alert) Play store. Cab rides can be scheduled to popular nearby airports - San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Jose International Airport (SJC) and Oakland International Airport (OAK). By the end of July, this capability will expand to customers in and around Seattle, and to Los Angeles customers in early August. Advance booking will also be rolled out in the coming weeks in other areas where the Flywheel app is available.

"Without a doubt, advance booking for rides is our most requested feature, and we are confirming our commitment to making travel easier by delivering this today. Air travel is already stressful enough without worrying about a ride to the airport at the last minute, especially early morning or during the afternoon rush after a long day of meetings," said Steve Humphreys, CEO at Flywheel.

Humphreys continued, "Travelers get the same delightful Flywheel experience of tracking the cab's location on a map and paying automatically through the app, now with the added ability to set a pick up time well in advance. And of course, scheduling a ride with us gets you the same safe, secure, fully-insured and experienced driver Flywheel always provides our customers."

According to area taxi fleets, almost three-quarters of advance booked rides (via phone or web) for all car services are to the airport. For users who rely on car services, scheduling a ride in advance means more pace of mind when securing a ride to the airport for a morning flight or after a busy day at work. In addition, Flywheel provides highly competitive taxicab rates that are better than those offered by most car services that allow pre-booking for airport rides.



Currently, the Flywheel app is available for iPhone (News - Alert) users in the App Store and on Android through Google Play.

How it Works


Scheduled Rides allows users to schedule a ride to the airport as far as two weeks in advance of a trip or as soon as 30 minutes before. Customers specify their destination airport at the time of booking a ride.

Enhanced Calendar uploads trip information directly to mobile phone calendars, calculating the expected length of a trip and taking into account the time of arrival to a desired destination.

Tip Selector lets users preset a tip amount or percentage, while also giving customers the ability to edit/change the amount up to five minutes after the ride has been completed.

Real time Map tracking allows the user to see the driver details as soon as a driver is assigned, track the cab on the map and call the driver for coordination.

"Having integrated the Flywheel app into our entire fleet of taxicabs has allowed our company to be at the leading edge of dispatching technology, bringing a new level of innovation to both our passengers and drivers," said Hansu Kim, president at DeSoto Cab, Flywheel's partner in the Bay Area.

Kim added, "San Francisco's many tourists and visitors need to plan their travel both reliably and conveniently. The ability to plan ahead and pre-book rides to the airport through the Flywheel app brings yet another level of convenience and control to their travel experience."

Flywheel technology is available in cabs in San Francisco, as well as various communities within the East Bay, Seattle and Los Angeles. The company has also expanded its presence in Southern California, launching in several cities in Orange (News - Alert) County. Additionally, Flywheel now offers service through existing fleets in Oklahoma City and Daytona Beach, Fla., part of the company's national growth strategy beyond its existing footprint.

Flywheel employs a highly sustainable business model by using existing taxi partners rather than adding more cars on the road. Every for-hire driver Flywheel works with is fully licensed, 100 percent insured and vetted, using FBI fingerprint background checks, helping to ensure the highest level of safety for customers, pedestrians and other cars on the road.

For more information, please visit flywheel.com or follow on us on Twitter (News - Alert) @FlywheelNow and in Seattle @Flywheel_SEA, San Francisco @Flywheel_SF and Los Angeles @Flywheel_LA.

About Flywheel:

Flywheel, founded in 2009, has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. Flywheel is one of the first companies to apply mobile and real-time geolocation technology to bring on-demand hired rides to consumers by phone. Every taxi company Flywheel works with has wheelchair-accessible cabs and vans, supports service dogs, carries always-on insurance, and features legally licensed drivers who know the city inside and out. The Flywheel app is compatible with voice-over software for visually impaired customers. Flywheel's Investors include Craton Equity Partners, RockPort Capital, Shasta Ventures and Sand Hill Angels. For more information, please visit flywheel.com.


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