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TORONTO, Canada - Drivers with an empty seat in their car can find people in need of a ride through a new app that connects them with potential passengers nearby.
SideCar lets users request a ride by indicating where they would like to be picked up and dropped off. The app matches them with nearby drivers - screened by the company - who are willing to give rides.
Director of marketing for San Francisco-based SideCar Blake Wirht said: "We're trying to set up a situation where people share the burden of transportation."
TECH CAR-POOLING
When someone requests a ride nearby drivers can decide if they want to respond. The passenger can compensate the driver via the app at a suggested fare that often undercuts the cost of a taxi.
"Longer trips tend to be significantly less than taxis and shorter trips are more on par, but generally it's a better deal," Wirht said.
Compensating the driver is voluntary: "We've instituted a community average which shows people what others in the community have been paying for similar rides."
He added that donating less than the recommended fare could cause a passenger to get a low rating on the app and deter other drivers from accepting that passenger's future ride requests. Users can also rate each other.
Wirht said drivers spanned a range of ages and professions from part-time waitresses to managers at technology companies - even retirees - but some critics have questioned whether accepting a ride with a stranger is wise. Wirht said the company has made the safety of passengers and drivers its core focus.
STRANGER DANGER
"A driver, to be approved, has to go through a vetting process, a background check, provide proof of insurance, proof of driving license and proof of registration," he said. GPS tracking was also employed and potential passengers had to register with a credit card.
"We know who everybody is," he said.
The app, launched at the end of June, 2012, is available for iOS and Android devices across the US.
SideCar lets users request a ride by indicating where they would like to be picked up and dropped off. The app matches them with nearby drivers - screened by the company - who are willing to give rides.
Director of marketing for San Francisco-based SideCar Blake Wirht said: "We're trying to set up a situation where people share the burden of transportation."
TECH CAR-POOLING
When someone requests a ride nearby drivers can decide if they want to respond. The passenger can compensate the driver via the app at a suggested fare that often undercuts the cost of a taxi.
"Longer trips tend to be significantly less than taxis and shorter trips are more on par, but generally it's a better deal," Wirht said.
Compensating the driver is voluntary: "We've instituted a community average which shows people what others in the community have been paying for similar rides."
He added that donating less than the recommended fare could cause a passenger to get a low rating on the app and deter other drivers from accepting that passenger's future ride requests. Users can also rate each other.
Wirht said drivers spanned a range of ages and professions from part-time waitresses to managers at technology companies - even retirees - but some critics have questioned whether accepting a ride with a stranger is wise. Wirht said the company has made the safety of passengers and drivers its core focus.
STRANGER DANGER
"A driver, to be approved, has to go through a vetting process, a background check, provide proof of insurance, proof of driving license and proof of registration," he said. GPS tracking was also employed and potential passengers had to register with a credit card.
"We know who everybody is," he said.
The app, launched at the end of June, 2012, is available for iOS and Android devices across the US.
