Biz News: An app for hailing a cab
Hailing a taxi in Orange County just got a little easier.
A taxi request app for smartphones, Flywheel, expanded service to some cities in Orange County, including Irvine, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa.
The app allows users to call for a cab, track the vehicle’s location and pay for rides using their smartphones. Unlike car services such as uberX or Lyft, which employ everyday drivers who share their private cars with passengers, Flywheel makes use of existing taxi partners. The company will partner with Taxi Maxi for its Orange County business.
Flywheel was founded in 2009, and also serves Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, among other areas.
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Sansone joins Planned Parenthood board
Dr. Beverly Sansone, a Fountain Valley-based obstetrician-gynecologist, has joined Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties’ nonprofit board of directors, according to a news release.
Sansone is president and owner of the Women’s Health Center. Previously, she served as Planned Parenthood’s medical director from 1989 to 1996.
“I am happy to be joining the Planned Parenthood board and be back in the organization after such a long hiatus,” Sansone said in a statement. “I am proud to participate in an organization that has done so much to promote women’s health and welfare, as well as being a leader in standing up for the rights, both medical and personal, of all.”
As an OB-GYN affiliated with Hoag Hospital, Sansone was one of several doctors who questioned the hospital’s decision to stop providing elective abortions in the wake of its alliance with a Catholic healthcare provider.
Sansone has served on a number of groups focused on bettering women’s health practices, both locally and at the state level, the news release said. The graduate of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor’s medical school also worked as an associate adjunct professor at UC Irvine.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Sansone back with us at Planned Parenthood as our newest board member,” Jon Dunn, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, said in a statement. “She brings invaluable expertise as a medical expert, and provides unique perspective to the needs of our 90,000 patients.”
According to the news release, Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties provides services, 90% of which are preventive care, to more than 160,000 men and women in the region.
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