Popular ride-sharing service Tip Whip LLC launched its much-anticipated mobile application on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Tip Whip was created in Dec. 2014 by alumnus, Spencer Wood, a tenant of the University of Maine’s Foster Center for Student Innovation. The service allows University of Maine students access to safe rides to and from their destinations. The service is the first of its kind to implement fee-less rides exclusively to college students. The service does not mandate a specific fare, but students can tip however much they desire or feel is appropriate.
With the launch of their free mobile app, Tip Whip now makes it possible for UMaine students to contact a driver directly from the app, much like other ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. The app has many other features, which allow students to track and rate the driver, as other similar services also feature. Most notably, the app allows students to tip the driver directly from their phones, with no cash-in-hand necessary.
The mobile application was originally set to launch prior to Homecoming weekend in October, but its delay has allowed student hype to generate on campus. Tip Whip has become an important fixture in university for not only its ease and convenience, but also for its reliability and safety record.
“I like [Tip Whip] a lot because you can tip them any amount and they’re always reliable and show up when they say they will,” Logan Neal, a fourth-year kinesiology student, said. “I’ve taken it alone before and didn’t feel unsafe or anything.”
Signing up for Tip Whip through its new application is easy. Students just have to use their school email address to verify they are students, agree to the terms and conditions and enter their credit card information. Within minutes, students can be on the road.
The app will hopefully expand to other universities in the state. In the coming months, the app will hopefully expand to the University of Southern Maine and the University of New England.
The Tip Whip mobile application is available for both iOS and Android devices.
Carter Hathaway contributed to this report.
