Category Archives: Announcements

RideGuru iPhone App, a Travelers Best Companion

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Want to compare the cost of taxis, limos, Uber, Lyft and others while on the go? Wish there was one app that could hail any taxi or rideshare for you? Check out the new RideGuru iPhone app, the search engine for all rideshares.

The RideGuru iPhone and iPad application compares rideshare and taxi rates across hundreds of services (Uber, Lyft, Ola, Didi Kauidi, Fasten, traditional taxis, limo networks, etc) in thousands of cities worldwide to bring you the best deals no matter where you are traveling.

Not only does RideGuru save you money, it also saves travelers time by allowing users to quickly filter their results to find a car that fits their specifications. Once the perfect ride has been found, simply hail or dispatch your desired ride straight from the RideGuru app.

According to the Press Release released today, “RideGuru is known to be the most robust rideshare comparison tool in the world. Through its vast support of all rideshare, taxi, and limo companies worldwide, users will feel secure in finding a local ride even if their destination is off the beaten track.”

If you plan on using rideshares or taxis during your upcoming travels, download RideGuru and travel with confidence!

To learn more about the RideGuru mobile app click here.

To view the Press Release please click here.

 

To view a Text Only Press Release please see below.

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Rideshare Aggregator, RideGuru, Now Available on App Store

Boston, MA, August 22, 2017

Calling all travelers!  This innovative rideshare search engine saves you time, money, and energy.

RideGuru, the rideshare comparison app, is now available for iPhone and iPad users. Powered by the popular travel website, RideGuru, the RideGuru mobile app is a search engine for rideshares and other on-demand ground transportation services. Users can compare costs of various rideshares and taxi services worldwide, then hail their desired car straight from the app.

Since RideGuru’s release in September 2016, the site has stood out as the aggregator of taxis, limos, and rideshares. Not only does RideGuru compare large on-demand car services such as Uber and Lyft, it also scours rates from hundreds of smaller services to bring the user an array of travel options. Through its vast support of all rideshare, taxi, and limo companies worldwide, users will feel secure in finding a local ride even if their destination is off the beaten track.

Ippei Takahashi, the CEO/President of Unleashed, LLC, states, “Thanks to the adoption of on-demand economy, there has never been so many ride options available. There are great offerings out there, but unfortunately, the consumers are either not aware of them or lack the visibility into the services they have access to.  That’s what we are trying to fix with RideGuru: provide visibility to the users and encourage competition between the providers.”

Lillien Kenyon, the business and operations lead at RideGuru, adds “Most travelers compare the costs of airfares, hotels, and car rentals. We want to bring the same philosophy to rideshares, saving travelers both time and money.”

The RideGuru app supports more than 100 rideshare services from companies such as Uber, Lyft, Juno, Grab, Curb, Fasten, Wingz, and Zum.  Users can filter the choices, by entering number of passengers, car type, accommodations, and other specialty features, such as rideshares for women and children or “shared rides” like UberPool and Lyft Line.

Once users have made their selection, they can dispatch the ride from Uber or Lyft directly, with similar dispatch support coming soon for other rideshare companies.

RideGuru is known to be the most robust rideshare comparison tool in the world.  To learn more about RideGuru’s groundbreaking fare comparison technology visit RideGuru.

About RideGuru
RideGuru, a product of Unleashed, LLC, is an all-inclusive rideshare and taxi information source. RideGuru is not another transportation service, instead, it is a search engine to help you find the best ride from point A to point B. It scours rates from hundreds of services worldwide to bring you the best deals.

About Unleashed, LLC
Unleashed, LLC is a Boston-based technology company that specializes in creating websites and smartphone applications to provide users with the information they need for daily decisions. The company is best known for creating the popular travel site TaxiFareFinder.com. TaxiFareFinder, released in 2007, is an online resource for all things related to taxis and rideshares. TaxiFareFinder is best recognized for its groundbreaking, location based, taxi and rideshare fare calculators.

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Calculate your UberPool or Lyft Line Ride with RideGuru

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RideGuru, a fare comparison calculator, just announced that they are now supporting UberPool, Lyft Line, and Ola Share rides! With many of these shared rides costing between 20-40% less than traditional services like Uber X or Lyft, it will be interesting to see how many people choose savings over comfort.

According to this blog post by Uber, in the first two years after releasing UberPool, riders requested more than 250 million UberPool rides and globally 20% of all Uber rides completed are through UberPool. Now that travelers have an easy way to compare the cost of various shared rides with other standard services, we wonder if that number will increase further.

Apart from adding shared rides, RideGuru also added a number of smaller rideshare companies to their site to give users more options when selecting a ride. Many of these smaller rideshare companies also help to fill certain niches like women only, airport rides, or rides specially designed for kids.

To learn more view the full Press Release here.

To view a Text Only Press Release please see below.

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BOSTON, MA, June 25, 2017

RideGuru took on a major expansion, adding more than 50 rideshare companies to their site. RideGuru’s mission has always been to bring transparency to the rideshare market by providing reliable fare estimates for rideshare and taxi companies around the globe.

With the recent boom of smaller, more niche rideshare companies, this transparency is more important than ever. Consumers now have multiple choices for ground transportation travel in almost every city around the world. RideGuru helps to cut through the chaos by bringing a fair and equal voice to the smaller companies.

Lillien Kenyon, the business and operations lead at RideGuru, expands on RideGuru’s mission saying, “We have always wanted to create a fair platform for all rideshare companies, big and small. With a few big players dominating the rideshare scene, it can be difficult for some of the smaller companies to be seen, even if they have competitive pricing or fill a unique niche. Through our addition of many of these smaller rideshare services, customers can get an unbiased look at the current marketplace and choose the transportation company that best suits their needs”

Not only is the rideshare market booming with new companies, it is also seeing a shift toward shared rides. Consumers are willing to share rides with strangers if it means a cheaper fare. RideGuru, to accommodate this trend, has added UberPool, Lyft Line, and Ola Share estimates in their Fare Comparison Calculator. With this new addition, users are able to see how much they can save by taking a shared ride over an Uber X or traditional Lyft.

Ippei Takahashi, the CEO/President of Unleashed, LLC, states, “This feature has been one of the biggest asks from our users, as the pricing rules for shared rides are very cryptic and difficult to estimate. While these offerings by Uber and Lyft are still unproven, this can be a very promising option for users to save money.  Are users willing to take longer trips and sacrifice comfort for cheaper fares?  We are thinking yes, but it may be limited to certain demographics.”

Takahashi also adds, “At RideGuru, we strive to be the most reliable and comprehensive resource for people who utilize on-demand ground transportation. Supporting UberPool, Lyft Line, and many of the smaller ‘challengers’ shows our commitment to this mission.”

For a full list of the companies that are currently supported on RideGuru click here.

About RideGuru

RideGuru, a product of Unleashed, LLC, is an all-inclusive rideshare and taxi information source.

RideGuru is not another transportation service, instead, it is a free search engine to help you find the best ride from point A to point B. It scours rates from hundreds of services worldwide to bring you the best deals.

About Unleashed, LLC

Unleashed, LLC is a Boston-based technology company that specializes in creating websites and smartphone applications to provide users with the information they need for daily decisions. The company is best known for creating the popular travel site TaxiFareFinder.com. TaxiFareFinder, released in 2007, is an online resource for all things related to taxis and rideshares. TaxiFareFinder is best recognized for its groundbreaking, location based, taxi and rideshare fare calculators.

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Advertise on RideGuru!

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Do you have a travel, transportation, or rideshare related business? Want to work with one of the top influencers in the travel realm to increase your brands exposure?

RideGuru, the authority in rideshare related transportation, just announced that they are now working to promote brands who add value to their reader base. Over the past year, RideGuru has grown to become one of the top resources for travel and trip planning with their popular fare comparison calculator launching them as the authority in the rideshare and taxi industry.

RideGuru reaches hundreds of thousands of travelers each month and has connections with over 50 rideshare companies. If you are looking to gain the credibility and respect of the travel community, check out RideGuru’s many new advertising opportunities!

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Save Extra Cash on Your Next Trip with RideGuru

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Disney TaxiWe love how our fans use TaxiFareFinder to continually find the price of their taxi rides around the globe. We are consistently getting feedback through our support inbox, social media, and comments section about how TaxiFareFinder has helped numerous travelers to better plan their transportation expenses for upcoming trips. It makes us happy to hear that our fare calculator is able to help relieve the burden of budgeting for a trip but we also find that many people, while happy they have found an estimate, are upset with the cost that is being calculated.

Travel is expensive and sometimes travelers just have to take a deep breath and spend the money to get from point A to B…but it is not always the case! Our sister site RideGuru may be able to help you save a few bucks on your travel expenses the next time you are looking to cut down on your trip’s budget. RideGuru not only calculates Taxi fares but it also simultaneously calculates the fares of all rideshare companies in your trip location area(s). When the results appear, you will be able to see multiple fare estimates across multiple ride platforms so you can pick the option that is cheapest for you.

ss3RideGuru also provides the option of ‘filtering results’ so you can narrow down your ride options by the number of passengers traveling, luxury vs economy, etc. Many times when people are traveling in a group setting they take 2 taxis to get around, but RideGuru will show you whether it is more economical to take those 2 taxis or one larger SUV. Many times the SUV rides are cheaper and will save the group money as a whole!

Perhaps the best part of RideGuru, is that once you have found your ride option that best suits your needs, you can hail the car straight from the website…saving you precious sightseeing time!

Happy Traveling!

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Thank you, fans. Looking forward to another great year!

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To our fans,

As an eventful year draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to thank all our fans, friends, supporters and customers.  We have achieved so much in 2016, such as releasing the RideGuru, our new rideshare calculator and a community platform, and running a successful campaign to promote transparency for the rideshare market.  All the team members here and everyone reading this message have contributed to these causes, and we should all be proud of what we have accomplished.

The taxi and rideshare market is a tumultuous one.  The heated debates will continue, old rules will be scrapped while new rules will be created, and new controversies and challenges will arise.  Unfortunately, this trend will continue for the foreseeable future and certainly into 2017.  While we still continue to sort out the taxis vs. rideshare dilemma, we now face the human vs. machines dilemma with the introduction of autonomous cars.  The market seemingly is changing too fast for any of us to keep up.

While it sounds daunting, we all have to keep one thing in mind.  We are all on a journey to come up with something great and are facing the revolution of ground transportation.  In the 1990s, we saw the explosion of the Internet.  In the 2000s, we saw the invention of mobile technologies and social media.  Now, we are facing the same transformation in ground transportation.  What gives me hope is that whether you are a passenger learning new ways to travel, a driver or a fleet owner running a business, an engineer creating the technology, or regulators making new laws, we are all ultimately working together and towards the same thing, a better way for humanity to travel.

…and that’s a wonderful thing.  …and that excites me.    It should excite you too!

So, to our fans and everyone involved, thank you for a wonderful 2016.  We look forward to another great year.   Let’s continue to support and push this revolution together!

Ippei Takahashi

President / CEO, Unleashed

Unleashed Team

The Best (and Worst) Taxi Moments of 2016

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best and worst taxi moments of 2016This year we all heard a lot of news happening with taxis, both good and bad. We wanted to record and share some of the best and worst taxi moments of 2016!

  1. Some taxis went driverless! Still in testing phases across the world, these driverless taxis have been all the buzz this year. We’re expecting to hear even more as we enter the new year! best and worst taxi moments 2016
  2. New on demand taxi companies like Grab started challenging the big rideshare players, and they’re still fighting!
  3. Women are getting involved in the industry all around the world, breaking the stereotype that taxi drivers always have to be male, and hoping to prevent more sexual assaults. #WomenEmpowerment best and worst taxi moments 2016
  4. We saw some of the coolest taxi decorations. Ever. Guess how many light bulbs this taxi driver used to light up his cab? Over 8,000!top taxi moments of 2016
  5. Several taxi companies filed for bankruptcy in the midst of the rideshare takeover. In general, the number of taxis overall has been declining for these same reasons.
  6. 12 New York City taxi drivers were caught in a credit card scam, stealing almost $50,000 from passengers through fraudulent transactions.
  7. Taxi Driver of the Year: This Boston taxi driver returned almost $200,000 in cash after it was left in the back seat of his cab. He knew the money would change his life, but returned it to the police instead. best and worst taxi moments 2016

Wow, what a year! That’s all we got for the best and worst taxi moments in 2016, be sure to tune in next year to see what’s in store!

Happy Holidays TaxiFareFinder Fans!

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Wishing you Peace and Joy this Holiday Season and throughout the New Year!

-The TFF Team

holiday2016

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Taxicab Industry Changes Since Cubs Last Won the World Series in 1908

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hertzIf you’re a baseball fan (and even if you’re not!), you are likely aware of the fact that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series last night, for the first time since 1908! We thought this was a great opportunity to take a look at the history of taxis in America since that time, when taxis barely existed.

First, a brief timeline of the transportation and taxi industry in Chicago, starting in the mid 19th century.

1853: The Parmelee Transfer Company was created to move passengers and baggage between Chicago’s downtown railroad terminals

1899: An electric cab venture opened in Chicago with 100 vehicles. Its success was short-lived.

1902: The first parking garage was created to hold horseless carriages.

1908: Chicago cubs won the World Series for the last time until 2016!

1909: A small group of companies operated a combined 100 rigs which contained “taximeter” and “fare” systems. However, it is argued that this was not considered the start of the official taxicab in Chicago.

It was not until 1914, 6 years after the Cubs last won the series, that the first cab company started in Chicago, called The Yellow Cab Company of Chicago.

The company was founded by John D. Hertz, and was the first yellow cab company to exist in America. Hertz took the results from a survey from the University of Chicago to determine that yellow was the best color for a taxi because it stood out. Hertz succeeded in building the company up into the largest of its kind in the world, operating some 2,000 cabs.

By the early 1920s the taxi industry in Chicago was still largely unregulated. Large automobile manufacturers controlled the industry until after the Depression. There was a surplus of cabs, and coupled with the poor economic conditions at the time, unionization and regulation emerged.

Today, there are about seven thousand licensed taxicabs operating in Chicago. It is still a fairly strong industry even with the increasing dominance of Uber and Lyft across America.

Much has changed since 1908, so congrats to the Chicago Cubs for making history.

Fun Facts:

The cost to take a taxi today from Downtown Chicago to Wrigley Field is a mere $29, according to our fare calculator.

If the Chicago Cubs team traveled between Wrigley Field and the Cleveland Indian’s Progressive Stadium for the World Series via taxi the price would have been $824 per taxi!

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Learn how to use RideGuru’s fare comparison calculator

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With the recent release of Ride.Guru, we wanted to create a helpful guide for TaxiFareFinder fans looking to use the new and improved fare comparison calculator. Follow the steps below to find out how much your ride is going to cost and to learn which rideshare or taxi company is best for you!

1. Enter Your Pick-Up and Drop-Off Locations

RideGuru supports not only addresses but also town and city names, landmark or business names, and even latitude & longitude!

 

2. Compare Rideshare Estimates

Take a look at the “Overview” chart to view the available ride options and prices in one convenient place. For a further breakdown of each service look under “Fare Details”, where you will find a cost analysis of each service, the amount the driver will actually make from your trip (the rest goes to the company), and information on the type of car you can expect to receive with each option. If you would like further details on any of the companies simply click on the company logo.

Pro Tip: If you are unsure which ride is right for you, simply use our “Filter Results” feature on the left hand side, which allows you to narrow down your ride results by provider, quality, and capacity.

 

3. Look Over Details Outlining Trip

Use the map route to make sure you know where you are going!

 

4. Choose Your Ride and Hail Your Car

Once you have decided which ride is right for you, hail your car straight from RideGuru using the “hail” buttons below each fare card. If you are not on mobile or do not have an active account with your chosen rideshare company, you will instead be taken to their website to sign up!

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RideGuru – A New Rideshare Initiative

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rg1We are excited to announce that the groundbreaking rideshare fare comparison calculator, RideGuru, which was originally hosted on TaxiFareFinder.com was officially released this morning as an independent website at Ride.Guru.

While the sites main attraction is its ability to compare rideshare fares across thousands of cities for a vast number of rideshare companies, it is also a place for riders, drivers, and travelers to come together.

To kick-start Ride.Guru’s community, the RideGuru team built a Q&A platform called, “Ask a Guru”. “Ask a Guru” connects rideshare drivers and riders not only with each other, but also with industry experts. Questions that are submitted will be answered by real insiders, such as actual rideshare drivers and representatives.  RideGuru has even partnered with Harry Campbell, otherwise known as “The Rideshare Guy”, who will be directly interacting with the visitors!

For travelers, RideGuru is providing a wealth of knowledge not only related to ridesharing but also in regards to general travel tips and tricks. Through Ride Guru’s city spotlights, users can find city specific travel information on multiple cities worldwide. Additionally, through RideGuru’s Instagram, Newsroom, and Newsletter, visitors can get ideas on where to travel next and can engage with one another on the best ways to get from point A to point B.

RideGuru is place of pure transparency within the rideshare marketplace. Curious which rideshare company is cheapest, RideGuru can show you. Interested in which rideshare company pays back the most to their drivers, RideGuru will let you know. Have a question, RideGuru will make sure to provide you with an unbiased answer. Check it out, join the community, and happy ride-hailing!

To view RideGuru’s Press Release please click here.

 

To view a Text Only Press Release please see below.

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RideGuru – A New Rideshare Initiative

BOSTON, MA,  September 20, 2016

Travelers rejoice! The ability to easily compare ridehail options such as Uber and Lyft is now available. Unleashed, LLC, the Boston-based technology company best known for TaxiFareFinder, officially released their newest site and initiative, RideGuru. RideGuru brings transparency to the rideshare and ridehail markets, something many riders and drivers have been seeking.

RideGuru’s primary feature is its comparison fare calculator. When to and from locations are entered, RideGuru will calculate and display fare estimates for a multitude of ride options, enabling comparison shopping for the end users.  It is able to provide estimates for all possible rideshare and taxi options for a given trip, complete with a breakdown of the potential fares.  Each estimate gets a “fare card”, and users can narrow down the cards by using filters, e.g. specifying the number of passengers, selecting luxury vs. economy experience, etc.

There are other calculators in the market that have attempted to provide similar comparative information, but they are being shut down by Uber and Lyft for violating their API terms of service. RideGuru is different. Using the same trusted technology and algorithm that the company created for TaxiFareFinder.com, RideGuru can derive fare estimates without the use of external APIs.  This means that it is not reliant on rideshare companies providing the estimates.  To provide accurate and trustworthy fares, RideGuru keeps a database of thousands of rates, and the algorithm is continuously optimized by real fares provided by users and drivers.  This ensures RideGuru’s estimates are as accurate as possible.

Ippei Takahashi, the CEO/President of Unleashed, LLC, states, “The innovation that rideshare and ridehail companies brought to the market is very impressive.  While many welcome its emergence, it is also disruptive in a way, as it forced fast transitions to the market and left a lot of uncertainty and confusion among the consumers.  For example, the fare and payout structures can be complex, and the rules and regulations can be vague.  Our mission is to bring transparency to the market by providing useful tools and informative resources, and through connecting people with rideshare experts.”

RideGuru is truly making waves as the Expedia of ride-hailing services.  It supports a vast number of major rideshare companies, such as Uber, Lyft, Curb, Ola, Didi Kauidi, taxis and more, and the list extends across over 70 countries.

In order to provide unfiltered information and industry knowledge to the public, RideGuru is hosting a Q&A platform called, “Ask a Guru.”  Rideshare consumers will be connected with industry experts and questions will be answered by real insiders, such as drivers, travel authorities, and representatives from service providers.  RideGuru has partnered with Harry Campbell, also known as “The Rideshare Guy” who will be directly interacting with the visitors. Harry is eager to spread his expertise through RideGuru, stating, “My goal is to answer any question you might have about the world of rideshare.  Whether you’re an experienced veteran of Uber or just heard about it for the first time today, I’m here to help!”

Furthermore, once a user finds their desired ride, they can simply sign up and/or hail the car straight from the site for most of the ridehail services.  The user, if interested, can also view the driver take-home pay as a part of the fare breakdown.  This feature gives the public an idea of how much is going to the driver and how much is going to the ridehail companies.

RideGuru strives to become a community and platform for all information pertaining to the ridehailing industry. With today’s release of its fare calculator as well as the Ask a Guru forum, RideGuru will start equipping the public with all the information they need to navigate this innovative but often confusing market.

 

About Unleashed, LLC

Unleashed, LLC is a Boston-based technology company that specializes in creating websites and smartphone applications to provide users with the information they need for daily decisions. The company is best known for creating the popular travel site TaxiFareFinder.com. TaxiFareFinder, released in 2007, is an online resource for all things related to taxis and rideshares. TaxiFareFinder is best recognized for its groundbreaking, location based, taxi and rideshare fare calculators. With taxi and rideshare rates for more than 2,000 international locations, TaxiFareFinder is the proven, trusted trip companion for travelers around the world.

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