Get Me joins ranks of ride-hailing companies in Las Vegas

There's a new ride-hailing company in town, and it doesn't look anything like Uber and Lyft.

The Nevada Transportation Authority on Tuesday unanimously approved licensing for Get Me, a Dallas-based company that had been operating in Las Vegas since November strictly as a delivery company.

Get Me didn't need state approval to deliver products around the valley, but once the company opted to transport passengers it needed to undergo the scrutiny of the state office.

Matt Krueger, who represented the company in Tuesday's hearing, said Get Me is similar to other ride-hailing companies in that it requires customers to download a free smartphone application to request a ride, but it's different in that it has separate rates for day and night rides.

With four tiers of transportation options — car, sports utility vehicle, truck or "VIP" — the least expensive pricing is $2.05 a mile and 23 cents a minute during the day. At night, the rate goes up to $2.75 a mile and 41 cents a minute. Uber and Lyft charge $1.10 a mile and 20 cents a mile after a $2 pickup fee.

But unlike Uber and Lyft, Get Me promises no dynamic pricing increases based on supply and demand. Uber has charged up to 8.9 times its normal rate and Lyft has capped its "prime time" rate to twice the usual rate when ride demand exceeds driver supply.

Krueger said customers have to request either a ride or a delivery when they activate the app and can't choose both.

Get Me, a start-up company that currently serves Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio made its first outside-of-Texas location when it began delivery operations in Las Vegas.

The company has about 1,000 operators in Texas and has self-limited itself to 100 drivers in Las Vegas.

The company will have 100 drivers qualified to transport passengers with others limited just to deliveries. A third-party background checking company reviewed the company's driver applications and Transportation Authority officials say the company complies with the necessary insurance coverages.

A driver qualified only as a delivery driver will be blocked on the app from taking passenger transport requests.

Get Me drivers get 80 percent of fares generated with 20 percent going to the company. The app also has a tipping option which is paid totally to the driver.

Get Me Chief Experience Officer Jonathan Laramy scouted Southern Nevada last summer and began the delivery operation Nov. 12 with the promise that it would go through the Transportation Authority investigation process before transporting passengers.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find @RickVelotta on Twitter.