RideAustin began recruiting drivers on Monday and expects to start rides in mid-June. “This is by Austin, for Austin,” Liemandt, said. “Tech can’t solve this problem alone. We are one leg of the stool. The way the community came together on this has been amazing.” RideAustin will work much the same way Uber and Lyft do, with a downloadable app and pick-up algorithms designed to cut down on wait times, he said. It will also have a feature that allows riders to donate to local charities. Its founders say they plan to fully embrace the city’s background checks.