A smartphone in the palm of your hand means that you can order everything from food, cars to lady escorts with the flick of a button. For travelers or busy, carless urbanites, mobile car booking services like Uber and GroundLink are on the rise. Today, GroundLink, whose iPhone app we wrote about earlier this year, is celebrating its new Android app with a Cash Cab style contest in which users could win up to $15K in prizes.
The #CashCar contest allows customers who book through the iPhone or Android apps the chance to win more than $15,000 in cash and other prizes like two envelopes containing $1,000 in cash each day. Other prizes include NYC experiences like tickets to Book of Mormon, Giants vs. Jets tickets, Momofuku and Peter Luger gift cards, Brooklyn Bowl, Barneys and Tiffany gift cards, and a trip to Atlantic City.
While Uber is gaining ground as a hot, young startup in the States, GroundLink offers its services globally. With 300 dedicated cars in GroundLink’s New York fleet and more than 100,000 private cars, limos, and SUV’s in all 50 states and 110 countries, it works anywhere in the world. So, whether you need a car now in New York or need to book a car for future pick up when you land in London, the app is reliable. GroundLink says it has a 40 car motorcade trolling New York City to show how much more sizable its fleet is to the competitors in market. To test this out, I powered up both Uber and GroundLink’s iPhone apps. While Uber only showed 4 cars, the closest being 14 minutes away, GroundLink offered 22 cars, although no time was noted. Check out both screenshots below:
The GroundLink app is reliable and has an arguably larger fleet than Uber, but it’s much more expensive than catching a yellow cab on the street– and many would argue– more expensive than Uber.
“GroundLink is much more than an app. We are the first company to deliver access to a global fleet of more than a hundred thousand cars through an app. Until now, business travelers had no way to find a reliable and competitively priced private car service around the country and the globe. GroundLink has selected the best partners, negotiated highly competitive rates, and built the technology that ensures reliability,” added GroundLink CEO, Charlie Fraas. “With the launch of our mobile apps on iPhone and Android, we’re embracing a multi-platform business model that is unique in our industry.”
When hiring a car with GroundLink, be sure to read the fine print to avoid any disappointment: Taxes, Fees and restrictions may apply. Base fares are for a one way ride and do not include applicable tolls, extra stops, processing fees, surcharges for pets, extra in-car bags, car seats, waiting time etc.
The app is completely legal as all cars are dispatched through their TLC licensed base. GroundLink says they are allowing New Yorkers to fulfill the vision that Mayor Bloomberg laid out recently in his plan to give residents the ability to hail livery cabs in the boroughs.
Hot Tip: RSVP Yes to this event and Like GroundLink on Facebook for a $20 credit toward your first ride.
Download the Apps here.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.