As The Transportation Battle Heats Up, Flywheel Launches in Portland to Give People Surge-Free and Fully Legal App-Based Rides

Redwood City, Calif. - April 30, 2015 - Amid the current “Uber vs. Portland” legal turmoil, Portland has been polarized between regulators and Uber supporters. Today, Flywheel , the company revolutionizing the transportation industry to give consumers quick, safe, affordable taxi rides through a mobile app, is launching in Portland to give people the best of both worlds: easy, app-based ride hailing from legal, certified drivers who don’t charge surge pricing. As the transportation app wars heat up, this move marks a flexible new choice for consumers in Portland.  

Flywheel brings advanced mobile technology to the taxi industry to deliver the best transportation experience to riders and drivers alike. Unlike alternative e-hailing apps, Flywheel does not charge exploitive surge pricing, and works with verified and licensed taxi drivers who know the city streets and have gone through a rigorous training and certification process, including federal background checks. The app currently operates in six cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento and Portland, and has seen massive recent growth. Flywheel is also announcing a completely new app functionality today with “Pay by Flywheel,” creating the first way for people to hail a taxi on the street and pay with an app.  

“Portland has been the center of regulatory battles that pit traditional transportation companies against ride apps - but people shouldn’t have to choose between great mobile app technology and the safety and fair pricing that comes with taxis,” said Rakesh Mathur, CEO of Flywheel . “We’ve decided to enter Portland to give consumers the best taxi hailing experience that they deserve - the frictionless mobile technology that people have come to expect, as well as the the safety, fair pricing and regulation that should be an industry standard.”  

In recent months, the company has seen explosive growth, most notably with San Francisco’s oldest taxi company, DeSoto Cab , rebranding its entire fleet as FlywheelTaxis . This move represents the taxi industry doubling down on Flywheel and allowing the original transportation institution to actually compete with “rideshares.” One in six cabs in San Francisco is now a bright red FlywheelTaxi, a move that has rejuvenated the industry as well as commanded awareness around Flywheel among the San Francisco community overall. To see images of the new FlywheelTaxis , click here .  

To download the Flywheel app, visit the Apple App Store or Android Google Play Store , and follow Flywheel on Twitter @FlywheelNow .  

About Flywheel:
Headquartered in Redwood City, Flywheel is a mobile platform for the taxi industry that connects passengers with licensed, high quality drivers. The Flywheel mobile app allows passengers to order taxi rides in real-time, track arrival via GPS and automatically pay their fare via their smartphone device.  
For more information about Flywheel, visit: http://www.flywheel.com .  

Contact:
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Bita Khaleghi
949.973.8677
bita@vscpr.com

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Bita Khaleghi

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