Alto Ridesharing Service Expands to Plano

photos courtesy Alto

Alto, the nation’s newest ridesharing service, has arrived in Plano. The service launched in Dallas in early 2019 and has already crossed more than 4,000 members who took more than 10,000 rides. The elevated, on-demand rides company has expanded its North Texas coverage to include Plano, Coppell, Valley Ranch, Irving, Frisco, Farmers Branch and Addison.

Will Coleman, founder and CEO, and his business partner, Alex Halbarder, the chief customer officer of Alto, both hail from Dallas. The company is partially locally-owned and partially venture-capital backed, with $14.5 million raised to get the operation off the ground.

Alto set out to reinvent the ridesharing business model. According to Alex, women are half as likely as men to use ridesharing services due to safety precautions, and regular users of ridesharing services have become increasingly frustrated with the inconsistent nature of their experiences. After considering the need for increased safety and consistency in this arena, the team created Alto in an attempt to counteract these problems.

Jonathan Campos, Chief Technology Officer; Will Coleman - CEO; Alex Halbardier - Chief Customer Officer // photos courtesy Alto
Jonathan Campos, Chief Technology Officer; Will Coleman, CEO; Alex Halbardier, Chief Customer Officer // photos courtesy Alto

All of Alto’s vehicles are owned by the company, and all drivers are W-2 employees. This ensures a safe, consistent and high-quality ride every time. Drivers undergo comprehensive background checks and extensive training, and all rides are monitored with real-time video in every car.

Alto also elevates the rider experience. Riders will always be picked up in a clearly identifiable luxury Buick SUV with an Alto license plate and custom grill lights that light up when engaged from the Alto app. Waters are available in each door, power cords are neatly tucked in the seat pockets for each type of phone, and air controls are in the back of the car rather than the front, allowing passengers to control air/heat instead of the driver. Riders are also able to set the vibe of each ride directly from their app, selecting from a variety of different types of playlists, controlling the volume or setting the “Do Not Disturb” mode when desiring peace and quiet after a long day at the office.

Alto members also don’t pay a higher price for using the service on busy or popular nights. By charging a monthly membership fee, Alto is able to protect its riders from surge pricing. Rather than surging on busy nights, Alto’s prices remain the same for its members, who have locked in their safe, luxurious ride at a standardized rate.

“Alto means ‘higher’ or ‘elevated’ and that’s exactly what we want this experience to be for our members,” says Will. “Alto is an elevated, on-demand ride service that’s unlike anything you’ve experienced before. Between the safety standards we enforce with our drivers and vehicles, the amenities we offer in each of our cars, and the service you can expect during each of your Alto rides, your on-demand ride experience will never be the same again.”

The Alto mobile app is available in the App Store and Google Play store.

Special offer for Plano Magazine readers:

Use code PLANOMAG for $25 off your first two rides (that’s $50 in free rides) PLUS three months free membership when the code is used before August 31.

To use the code, sign up for the app. Once in the app, tap the “Profile” button on the bottom lefthand corner of the home page. That will lead to a “Promotions” section where the code can be entered.

Alto >

 

Written By
More from Daly Rea
Plano Dance Festival 2018
On April 21 Plano Metropolitan Ballet will host the 16th annual Plano...
Read More
Join the Conversation

4 Comments

  1. says: Richard

    So how much is the monthly fee? Do you pay the monthly fee and then also pay the cost of the drive? Sounds like you’re totally getting charged the surge fee, just not all at once. Not to mention, many people never get charged a surge fee because they aren’t traveling during those times so now they are being hit with fees when they otherwise wouldn’t. I like several of the features they are bringing to the market, but this is just an upgraded taxi at the end of the day. One that you will be paying for monthly whether you need it or not. No thanks.

    1. says: gidget jordan

      It’s $12.95 a month. My 9 Mile trip from Garland to Plano is estimated at $24-30 plus an 18% service charge. Sounds like you are absolutely right to me.

  2. says: Dick

    The problem with the startup culture, in Dallas (and elsewhere), is that the startup scene has seriously devolved into a cult-like atmosphere of (predominately young) get-rich-quick schemers with no shortage of either silly, outright stupid or wholesale copycat ideas to defraud would-be investors out of money; all lacking any genuine research and development or a contribution to the human condition. All fall overwhelmingly short on any real ingenuity or innovation. There is not much difference between the ways these cult-like startups spring up out of nowhere and the multi-level marketing manner in which Keith Raniere operated his quiet little slave organization.

  3. says: rick townend

    I used the service once that a car dealership ordered for me, I did not sign up for membership but they started charging me the monthly fee even though they do not pick up in my area. I have tried to cancel the membership but they still try to charge my credit card. These people are a scam, they send out an non reply email telling you your membership has been changed, Buyer BEWARE.

Leave a comment
Leave a comment