Fasten your seatbelts: There's a new ride-hailing app in Austin - CNET

Uber and Lyft said "see ya!" to Austin, Texas, after its citizens rejected a proposition exempting the companies from fingerprinting their drivers. But where those companies saw untenable regulation, a startup saw a big market for its services.

That startup is Fasten, a ride-hailing app that said Friday it's launching in Austin as soon as possible. Fasten CEO Kirill Evdakov said the company hadn't plaed to go live in Austin just yet, but now plans to speed up its timeline.

"We're reaching out to the drivers of Austin and signing them up as they come. This is happening quickly so our app will be available to riders shortly," Evdakov said in a draft of a blog post sent by email.

He also had some tough words for his competitors.

"Real competition benefits everyone, encourages iovation, and pushes us forward -- together," Evdakov said. "One of the downsides of monopolies and duopolies is their ability to control the market, and in Austin's case, the market was steered against what people wanted."

Lyft and Uber did not immediately respond to requests for comment.