Valley startup competing with rideshares such as Uber, Lyft

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — A local startup is looking to out-do other rideshare and mobile car services while giving consumers more peace of mind.

AsterRIDE was co-founded by Arizona State University graduate Seth Rudin in October. The company contracts with taxi, sedan, limousines and other professional ride services.

“You’re getting a professional service, you’re getting a driver that is background-checked,” Ash Khaleghi, who runs AsterRide in Phoenix, said.

Beside background checks, Khaleghi said by working exclusively with professional companies, users know drivers are commercially insured.

While its average pricing might be higher than that of services such as UberX or Lyft, Khaleghi said AsterRIDE does not have surge pricing during peak hours.

Khaleghi said the company also has a new feature, “instaALERT,” that sets it apart from other ridesharing or ride-hailing apps. Users can add specific contacts to the app who will be notified when the user is picked ups. Those contacts can then track the car via GPS.

“I’m in the airport, I order a car, I’m in the car, I’m coming to the office, they can see how far I am,” he said.

Khaleghi said the app’s popularity is continuing to grow and there have been thousands of downloads in the Phoenix market and is in several other cities.