Wingz, Inc. is a ridesharing company that provides transportation services across the United States. The service provides rides focused on healthcare and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT).
Safety
Drivers
Wingz drivers undergo an extensive vetting and credentialing process that involves a more thorough assessment than traditional rideshare services, resulting in less than 5% of drivers being accepted into the program.
History
Establishment
Wingz (originally known as Tickengo) was founded by Geoff Mathieux, Jeremie Romand, Fred Gomez and Christof Baumbach in April 2011. Tickengo was originally a ride-sharing platform matching drivers and passengers going to the same destination.[3]
In October 2011, Tickengo was the first company in the world to introduce the concept of a peer-to-peer ride online platform, where non-commercial drivers could accept any posted ride request to make some money, even if they were not going to the same destination. This was made available through the Tickengo website.[4] [5]
In October 2012, Tickengo received a "cease and desist" letter from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The company was the first to submit a brief to the CPUC arguing for the legalization of ridesharing companies.[6][7]
In November 2013, California regulators formally legalized ride-sharing services, classifying them as “Transportation Network Companies”. Thus, Tickengo was the first company in the world to get a license for ride-sharing, before Lyft and Uber obtained theirs. In early 2014 Tickengo rebranded as Wingz.[8][9][10][11]
Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco, served as lawyer and advisor to Wingz, representing the company before the California Public Utilities Commission.
Funding
In March 2015, Wingz announced that it had raised $2.7M in equity funding from Ocotea Holdings, Florence Ventures, Blue Angels Ventures, Big Bloom Investments, Binux Capital, Bright Success Capital Limited, Olive Tree, Jack Russo, David Chen, Vincent Ma, Larry Marcus, Xavier Niel and other angel investors. [12]
In July 2015, Wingz received an additional $11M in equity funding from Expedia Group, Altimeter Capital and Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com. [13]
External links
References
- Wingz (company) Wikipedia, 2025-09-02, retrieved 2025-09-02^
- Douglas Hanks. Uber and Lyft have a new rival in Miami-Dade: Wingz Miami Herald, May 31, 2016, retrieved November 11, 2025^
- Saraswathi, Staff Writer. Tickengo - Click, Sit and Go TheTechPanda, 14 September 2012, retrieved 2012-09-14^
- Laura Wheeless. Tickengo Shifts Ridesharing Into High Gear With Revolutionary "Open Ride" System FirmenPresse, 15 February 2012, retrieved 2012-02-15^
- Ryan Lawler. Meet Tickengo, The Ride-Sharing Service That's Already Available Throughout The US TechCrunch, 18 February 2013, retrieved 2013-02-18^
- Tomio Geron. Ride-Sharing Startups Get California Cease-And-Desist Letters Forbes, 8 October 2012, retrieved 2012-10-08^
- Geoff Mathieux, Willie Brown. Comments - from Willie Brown California Public Utilities Commission, 18 January 2013, retrieved 2013-01-18^
- Geoffrey Fowler, Wall Street Journal Staff Writer. Taxi Apps Face Bumpy Road Wall Street Journal, 28 October 2012, retrieved 2012-10-28^
- Wingz Joins List Of Ridesharing Companies Permitted To Operate At SFO CBS SF Bay Area, 13 November 2014^
- SFO: Transportation network Wingz gets permit to operate at airport Bay City News, 14 November 2014^
- Ryan Lawler, Staff Writer. While The California PUC Cracks Down On Ride-Sharing, Sidecar And Lyft Commit To Staying On The Road TechCrunch, 8 October 2012, retrieved 2012-10-08^
- Lora Kolodny, Wall Street Journal Staff. Wingz Raises $2M to Book Airport Rides for People Who Plan Ahead Wall Street Journal, 13 April 2015, retrieved 2015-04-13^
- Jeb Su. Wingz Raises $11 Million To Disrupt Airport Rides, Plans Nationwide Expansion Forbes, 25 January 2016^