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Winston car service launches in Toronto
There's a new taxi/limo option in Toronto today. Winston, a car service modeled loosely on Uber which operates in five US cities, has 20 cars in its fleet for launch with plans to add up to 50 more over the next couple of months. To use the service, all you need to do is download their free app from iTunes and create an account.
I spoke with Co-Founder and CEO Aidan Nulman earlier today about their launch. It's something they've been working on all year as a result of their affiliation with the Next 36 program. While they plan to eventually offer service to select corporate partners, Winston begins its life today as a consumer facing offering with cars able to pick up customers at the airport and between Bathurst, the DVP, Eglinton and the lake.
There's a $20 minimum for each ride but Nulman tells me rates are "a bit more expensive than a taxi" but much cheaper than a limo. All drivers in the Winston fleet are behind the wheel of a Lincoln Town Car.
Are you excited about this new service? Do you plan to try it out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Bron, we'll have American Express capabilities in the next week or so.
Sean, Blackberry, Android and sms capabilities are on the way!
Leon, Winston drivers are from existing, licensed limo companies (lots more info on our site)
www.hirewinston.com
Facebook.com/hirewinston
twitter.com/hirewinston
Roughly 20%
The details are here:http://www.hirewinston.com/spend
: )
Logo looks like it could be a Kitchenaid mixer, minus bowl, that someone took a sledgehammer to.
does this mean cars don't go west of bathurst period or will not pick up anywhere west of bathurst? either way a poor choice
anyways, whatever
winstons logo looks like an mri scan of a penguin, sagittal view.
Hon, we'll have an SMS version coming out pretty soon- but you'll need a mobile phone to take a ride.
Vaughn and Non, we expect to have drivers available at 2:30 am. We're starting with 20 cars in the GTA but we're already expanding our fleet to meet demand.
On the logo front- we're pretty amused by the interpretations. Keep on rocking and we'll work on making it look either more like a Kitchenaid mixer, minus bowl, that someone took a sledgehammer to, or a jack rabbit vibrator, or a penguin....to limit confusion.
And non, the cars *do* go West of Bathurst, and often are there. Our general instructions to the drivers, however, were to expect most of their rides in between Bathurst and the DVP, and Eglinton and the water. As we gather more data about where our customers are in the city, we are *definitely* giving them more precise recommendations.
Also, non, to clarify your concern: drivers definitely both pick up *and* drop off West of Bathurst. What Tim was getting at is that we instructed our drivers that we believe (based on some early research) that most of our rides will come from an area between Bathurst and the DVP, and Eglinton and the water, so they should hang out in those boundaries.
As we gather more data, we'll be able to give our drivers a bit more feedback, so we could dispatch even more efficiently.
We're seriously working on it. The most updated version is here: http://www.facebook.com/hirewinston.
Would love some constructive criticism.