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Tag: Carpooling

  • Uber Wants More Uber Drivers, Launches New Carpooling Service

    Uber Wants More Uber Drivers, Launches New Carpooling Service

    Uber is testing a new carpooling service in what it called its “number one city in the world.”

    In Chengdu, China, Uber is piloting a program called uberCOMMUTE. It’s basically a carpooling feature – targeted at drivers who are already taking long commutes, and may want to haul a few other people around to save some money.

    “Drivers sign into the app and tell Uber where they are going. We then show them requests from riders who are traveling in the same direction as well as the payment they will receive for the trip. The driver can then decide whether to accept the request or not. For riders, it’s Uber as usual. They simply select People’s Uber+ (our Chinese UberPOOL service), input their destination and then our systems match them with a driver going the same way,” says Uber.

    “We’ve chosen China to pilot uberCOMMUTE — the first time we’ve launched a new global product outside the United States — because of the tremendous appetite amongst Chinese drivers and riders for creative new ways to get from A to B, affordably and reliably.”

    UberChina, you may recall, just raised $1.2 billion.

    uberCOMMUTE is a clear play to get more Uber drivers on the road. For every person that doesn’t really want to be an Uber driver, there’s a person that could, possibly picks someone up in the name of “carpooling” if they’re already going that way anyway.

    Of course, Uber frames it as a win for congestion.

    “Visit most cities anywhere in the world and you’ll hear people complaining — often loudly — about roads being gridlocked, especially at rush hour. But there’s a real alternative to a world that looks like a parking lot and moves like a traffic jam. Partly, it’s about better public transportation, though this takes time and not everyone can live near subway or bus stop. It’s also about new technology because services like Uber can help use the existing infrastructure more efficiently today.”

    Though starting in China, Uber says it hopes to offer uberCOMMUTE in other cities – over time.

  • Google Tests Waze-Powered Ride Service

    Google is testing a Waze-powered carpooling program in Israel, according to multiple reports.

    The service, called RideWith, will let people pay drivers a “small fee for a ride to and from work,” reports Reuters. The service launched today in Tel Aviv.

    So, is Google jumping into the on-demand ridesharing space – and does Uber now have some big competition?

    Not really – at least not with this specific pilot program. Google has placed limits on it, which make it difficult to call it any sort of a “competitor”. From the Wall Street Journal:

    To avoid regulatory hurdles such as the ones facing Uber, Waze will limit drivers’ ability to generate income by connecting them only with passengers who wish to join the route they take to work and back, and limiting the driver to two rides a day. Drivers will only be able to pick up passengers if they leave from their home neighborhoods and drive toward their workplaces, or the other way round.

     

    Passengers can pay drivers for the ride through their credit cards linked to the app, but only for gasoline and wear and tear. The prices will be determined through the app based on indices for the cost of gas per kilometer and indices for wear and tear.

    “We’re conducting a small, private beta test in the greater Tel Aviv area for a carpool concept, but we have nothing further to announce at this time,” Waze told Reuters.

    No, this isn’t a direct shot at ridesharing companies, but it’s clear that Google is at least testing the waters here. It’s known that both Google and Uber are currently moving in on each other’s turf.

  • Lyft Acquires Hitch to Help with Carpooling Service

    On-demand car service Lyft has announced that it is acquiring Hitch, another on-demand car service focused on carpooling.

    “John and Logan met the Hitch team over a year ago and as both teams talked, they realized they shared the same vision of connecting people through more affordable and efficient transportation options. Similar to Lyft, Hitch has always believed the shared rides experience is inherently social, and we’re excited that they’re joining the team to accelerate this movement together.”

    With this acquisition, Hitch will be closing down. Hitch users will now have to sign up with Lyft.

    “The Lyft team deeply shares our vision for collaborative transportation. They also value the impact and significance of community in making this dream a reality. Lyft is a perfect complement and together, we look forward to continuing to innovate in the transportation field. We’re only at the cusp of this movement with ridesharing, and we can’t wait to keep pushing the frontier,” says Hitch co-founders Snir Kodesh and Noam Szpiro. Lyft says that they will join the Lyft team.

    Lyft makes no attempt to conceal the reasons for the buy – the company readily admits it’s to help bolster Lyft Line. You may remember that Lyft unveiled Lyft Line last month. It’s a carpooling service that allows users to share a single ride with people traveling on a similar path. Lyft says that this service can save riders up to 60 percent. Lyft launched Lyft Line on the exact same day that competitor Uber announced its own carpooling service, UberPool.

    “Lyft Line is in its early stages, and we’re only beginning to see what we can do with shared rides. We have seen incredible growth and demand for Lyft Line in San Francisco, and the Hitch team and technology will help us move even faster to bring shared rides to more people,” says Lyft.

    Image via Hitch, Facebook

  • Lyft Is Doing That Whole Carpooling Thing Too

    On Tuesday, on-demand ride company Uber unveiled UberPool, a new service that allows users to split fares with strangers who are planning on traveling on a similar path. With UberPool, one single Uber ride can stop numerous times in one “trip” and carry multiple people to their destinations.

    Not to be outdone, rival Lyft is also unveiling a new carpooling service. It’s called Lyft Line, and it does pretty much the same thing as UberPool.

    “Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of Lyft Line — shared rides along shared routes, priced for daily use. Simply set your destination, and we’ll connect you with a ride already going the same way for up to 60% less than an original Lyft ride. Lyft Line will roll out first in San Francisco on iOS, with Android and other cities to follow,” says Lyft.

    That 60 percent is quite an eye-popping number. Chances are, it’ll be a bit to a lot less of a discount than that – considering Lyft will calculate the discounted rates based on the likelihood of any given route finding a match for someone who wants to hop on.

    Still, the discounted and split fares could make for some cheap rides. Lyft says they’re pioneering what they call “personal transit” – which I assume align the benefits of on-demand rides with the added bonuses of cheaper rates and that sense community you feel when riding the bus with strangers.

    “Lyft Line is a system that is flexible, lightweight, and constructs itself in real-time. This is a transit system with infinite routes — and it becomes stronger, more affordable, and more efficient the more it’s used. It will grow as we grow, and change as our cities change,” says Lyft.

    I guess at this point we just have to start debating names – UberPool vs. Lyft Line. UberPool kind of sounds like UberCool, but Lyft Line sounds like a “lifeline” and has that sweet alliteration. Plus, UberPool is too heavy-handed on the whole carpool aspect of the service. The winner is Lyft Line.* That’s it – game over. We’re done here.

    *The author of this post users Lyft more than Uber, he thinks.

    Image via Lyft, YouTube screenshot

  • Carpool Facts: Who are these People? [Infographic]

    With the rising costs of gasoline and just about every other resource out there too, carpooling has to becoming a more attractive option for thousands of commuters, but who is actually doing it? There’s a variety of people doing it, and even though it is a behavior associated with saving on costs, people from a wide-spectrum of budgets are doing it.

    This next infographic comes to us from Carpooling.Com, they are the number one carpooling network in Europe and have over 3,571,051 registered users. Here’s how they describe themselves:

    “Created in Munich in 2001, carpooling.com quickly became Europe‘s largest carpooling network. Today the site transports 1 million people each month and connects people in 5000 cities and 45 countries. Available in 7 languages and localized in 9 countries (Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Austria, Spain, Poland, Switzerland and Greece), the site brings people who want to share a ride together.”

    There are many benefits to carpooling including saving on fuel costs, reducing harmful greenhouse gases, less wear and tear on your vehicle (if you have one), and possibly, some good company as well. Many riders, according to Carpool.Com, are also finding it safe, friendly, and convenient.

    So lets get down to the resin we’re here; who are these people who take advantage of the carpool? Typically they’re well-educated, over 25 years-old, interested in travel, and for the most part, tech savvy, and an informed consumer. Sounds pretty generic in itself, but regardless, that’s who these folks are. Oh yes, and a majority of them are single, if that matters.

    Take a look:

    (image)