Earlier this month, ride-hailing services Lyft and Uber announced that they will cease their operation in the Texas capital Austin. More recently, a new non-profit ride-sharing service is picking up the pieces and aims to deliver the same service, and this time it will play by the rules imposed by the local government.

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RideAustin was started by Joe Liemandt, who is also the chief executive officer of Trilogy, a consumer electronics software, and automotive company. Uber and Lyft decided to forego their services in Austin following a referendum that requires all the drivers of the two companies to be fingerprinted, according to Tech Crunch.

While the new Austin referendum might dissuade many ride-sharing services, RideAustin is adamant that it should be able to fill the void left by Uber and Lyft.

Unlike Lyft and Uber, RideAustin declares itself as a non-profit organization. This means that, in theory, the company's fees will be significantly lower compared to other services since there is no major intention to maintain a high-profit margin. Although this arrangement sounds helpful to consumers, it is important to note that a poorly managed non-profit organization can sometimes deliver subpar service.

RideAustin will allow riders to round up their fares to the next dollar, and the remainder of it will be donated to a chosen charity. However, some tech analysts have noted that giving tips to drivers is not allowed in the app.

RideAustin director of communications Joe Deshotel told Digital Trends, "Here in Austin, we have an opportunity to do something unique with a platform that was built by Austinites for Austinites."

Deshotel added that since RideAustin is a non-profit organization, its operation will be completely transparent. This means that all the profits, employee and board member information will be accessible to the public.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said that he supports RideAustin's initiative. RideAustin is currently available on the iOS platform, while the Android version of the app will be released next month.

TagsRideAustin, Uber, lyft, RideAustin news, RideAustin launch, RideAustin app, ride sharing, ride-hailing