Gett offers hurried New Yorkers new car pool service

Carrie Bradshaw may not have to struggle anymore in her quest to find elusive taxis in New York. Gett, the Israeli rideshare startup, has just started a carpooling service for New York City.

The company, which is already providing New Yorkers with $10 fixed fare rides in Manhattan, is now offering them “Gett Together,” — a new service that will provide commuters in Manhattan with $3 direct rides at a flat rate, helping make up for the lack of public transport along the East and West Sides, the company said, and offering an alternative to buses and subway.

Riders who request a Gett Together can be picked up and dropped off, by cars that are driven by professional drivers and during traffic hours, along set routes during designated commuting hours. The riders will be able to share the vehicles with others, headed the same way. The pre-established and set routes will allow users to know exactly where they are going, so there won’t be unexpected detours or surprise stops along the way, Gett said.

Gett, which defines itself as an an on-demand mobility company, is already offering ride-hailing services in more than 80 cities around the world, including London, Moscow and New York. In London, more than half of all the black cabs run on Gett, which has an app that allows customers to pre-book their rides or order them on the spot.

To promote the service, New Yorkers will be able to initially use Gett Together for free.

The service is a new shot in the competition among ride-hailing companies, like Uber and Lyft, to take control of the streets of New York. Uber for instance offers users its UberPool service, allowing customers to share a ride and split the cost of the trip for a guaranteed fare with other Uber riders.

Gett Together is faster and cheaper than UberPool, and “takes a fresh approach to carpooling by targeting areas underserved by public transportation and complementing subway routes,” said Shahar Waiser, CEO of Gett. “Our solution is cheaper, more convenient and faster than other carpooling options. Gett Together only operates along direct routes thereby eliminating deviations and minimizing driving time.”

Gett Together rides are available Monday-Friday from 7-10 am and 5-8 pm along the East and West Side of Manhattan. There will be three lines: one from the Upper East Side downtown, the Upper West Side downtown, and the East Village uptown.

To make the service even better, riders who request a Gett Together can be picked up and dropped off anywhere along the set route during designated commuting hours and may share the vehicle with other riders headed the same way, reducing costs, the company said.