Andale Ride app carves its niche in the Borderland

Juan Velarde has been a taxi driver for eight years. He said his job changed when Uber came into town in 2014.

“Those companies, they took some of our rides. That means less money for us,” Velarde said.

He’s one of eight drivers who works for Andale Ride. A ride-sharing app started by local company Border Cab.

“This business has been in existence for 52 years. My daddy started this company,” owner Joe Olivar said.

In 2016, the company launched the app as a way to stand out and stay competitive.

“The business model has changed without a doubt. The service industry, the taxi cab industry, had to adapt to those changes. Otherwise, there was going to be no industry left,” Olivar said.

Lyft came into El Paso in 2017. Olivar said the other apps have affected their business, but his app is for niche customers.

We compared the prices of each of the three apps for a ride from the KVIA Studios in West El Paso to Southwest University Park. An Uber was listed at $7.79, a Lyft cost $8.09 and Andale Ride was listed at $12.

“The younger people they like Uber, they’re going to use Uber,” Olivar said. “What we’re targeting and what we’ve been doing extremely well, is the more affluent people, 30 and over. People who want a secure ride for their wife who comes into town, or their kids who come into town. They trust us.”

Another way the app differentiates itself — it’s not limited by a border.

“If they need to go even to Las Cruces, Juarez, to anywhere — if they pay, we do that,” Velarde said.