AllState Limo goes head-to-head with Uber

Carroll Gardens’ AllState Limo, a local car service owned by a Canarsie man, has managed to woo back some of its drivers from Uber, according to a story in the New York Daily News.

The company built its own iOS and Android apps. It’s not the first longstanding automotive business to show some agility here in the Internet age. A homegrown car rental company has gotten into carsharing, with Carpingo.

It’s not just the app that’s made the difference for AllState Limo, though. More importantly, according to the Daily News report, drivers came back because they preferred working with live dispatchers who can solve problems quickly — illustrating the fact that the black car business relies on customer service for both drivers and passengers.

AllState registered a 12% decline in gross revenues over the last year, said Eduard Slinin, the fleet’s founder and owner.

But the owner — who lives in Canarsie and has been in business for more than 30 years — pushed back earlier this year, launching his own app that lets riders order cars and schedule pickups.

The platform has attracted approximately 6,000 users and continues to grow each day.