WASHINGTON — An increasing number of ride-hailing drivers are signing on with both Uber and Lyft, and an app that just rolled out in the Washington area helps them easily bounce between their driver apps and navigation.
Gridwise, which launched in Pittsburgh, has been in beta tests in Washington, the second market to officially get the app. It also covers Baltimore.
The free app also has features that alert drivers to the best spots to squat, based on airport and hotel traffic and large events around the region.
“We see that the DMV area offers a great deal of challenges for the 30,000-plus ride-hailing drivers … balancing multiple TNC (transportation network company) service apps. It is a large market and great proving ground for our platform.” says Gridwise co-founder Ryan Green. “By solving the challenges in the DMV area, we should be well prepared as we scale to other large metro cities.”
Gridwise includes an airport passenger demand feature that lets drivers see how many potential riders will be arriving or departing at the airports throughout the day, so drivers can gauge when it is best to be waiting at the airport or near clusters of hotels.
It also includes real-time alerts for things such as event end times and weather and road conditions.
Gridwise claims the app increases the money drivers working for multiple TNCs can make. It quotes one driver in the D.C. beta test program as saying it increased his earnings by more than $120 a week.
