Teleport is a new app that streamlines the process of transporting keynote speakers, sponsors, presenters, and other V.I.P.s to an event. The app, which launched for iOS in November, allows users to send an Uber to pick up guests and bring them to a specific location. The sender does not need to know the location of the person being picked up, and the person being picked up does not need to know the address of where they are going.
“As the person sending the Uber, I just use the app to send a text message to the person I want to pick up. The receiver clicks the link in the text, which opens a Web app. Then they drop a pin where they want to be picked up and the car will show up,” says Teleport co-founder Bob Wu. “Then they can see how far away the car is, what type of car it is, the license plate, and the driver’s name. And as a sender, I don’t have to worry about communicating with you and the driver—all of that is done.”
Only the person sending the Uber needs to have the Teleport app installed, and that person also pays for the ride. Teleport works anywhere Uber is available; the sender and receiver just need to be within 100 miles of each other.
Teleport recently released an update that allows users to drop a Teleport link into conversations on Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and other platforms, which means the sender does not need to know the recipient’s phone number. Wu says the next update will allow planners and other event hosts to send and track multiple rides at once.
