Wingz
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
Wingz is a ridesharing service based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 2011 as Tickengo, a ride-matching platform matching drivers to passengers for rides. It focused on rides to and from the airport, hence the name. It offers private, peer-to-peer fixed-price rides. Originally focused on over 20 airports in 14 U.S. cities, it now offers rides to doctor’s appointments, concerts, restaurants, and around town, rather than just to the airport.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Scheduled Rides
- Reserve Via App or Website
- Favorite Drivers
- Flat Rates
- Driver Vetting
Scheduled Rides
A big pro of the Wingz transportation network is the option to schedule rides in advance. You can make plans and reserve a car from two hours to two months in advance, unlike other rideshare services which only offer on-demand service.
Customers who want the peace of mind of knowing that they have a ride home or a ride to the airport will appreciate this perk.
Reserve Via App or Website
Users can schedule a ride on an Apple or Android device, and they also have the option to schedule via the website, wingz.me. This is a great idea for people who hate downloading a new app, or don’t have access to a mobile device.
Favorite Drivers
Wingz lets you build a list of favorite drivers so you can request them for future rides.
When users request a ride, their favorite driver gets first dibs. If that driver is unavailable, the preference goes down the list of favorites.
Drivers get a higher percentage of a customer’s fee if a ride is booked as a favorite driver, so this is added incentive for drivers to provide a good experience.
Flat Rates
When you schedule a ride with Wingz, you are charged an upfront flat fee. Other rideshare services often only give an estimate and then bill you if driving took longer than estimated or your route had a detour, causing you to cover more distance than expected during your trip.
Additionally, Wingz doesn’t do surge or high demand rates.
Driver Vetting
This is a competitive ridesharing service because drivers get better pay than with the big name competition. Only 5 percent get accepted, meaning that the driver coming to pick you up is the cream of the crop.
The Bad
- Availability/Service Areas
- Liability Insurance Coverage
Availability/Service Areas
While Wingz originally offered airport rides only, it has expanded to include any other kind of scheduled ride. However, the company hasn’t widened its service area to include more than the following locations:
- Austin
- Dallas
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Orlando
- Phoenix
- Portland
- Sacramento
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Seattle
- Tampa
Liability Insurance Coverage
With Wingz, insurance coverage is a little different than Uber or Lyft. According to its Terms of Use, Wingz provides drivers with excess automobile liability coverage of up to $1 million per incident.
This type of coverage only comes into play if the at-fault party’s insurance doesn’t fully pay for the victim’s injuries. Prior to that, the at-fault driver’s insurance is responsible.
The Bottom Line
With a focus on airport transport scheduled hours, days, weeks, or even up to two months early, this peer-to-peer service still emphasizes airport rides. It offers flat fare rates, and the ability to build a list of drivers you feel comfortable with, rather than just the closest driver at the instant you need a ride.
There are definitely benefits for both Wingz riders and drivers, but as most Americans don’t have this rideshare service in their city, they may have to wait to use it while traveling.
Have you used this car service? Let us know about your experience with a quick review below.
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