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Ridesharing with a Little Help from iPhone
Monday, December 22, 2008 2:19 PM  

 

Screen shot of Carticipate with founder Steffen Frost's profileA new application on iPhone matches drivers with riders in a twist on old-fashioned hitchhiking.

Think of it as computerized hitchhiking.

Carticipate, a free ride-sharing application became available for the iPhone in October. It's already had more than 10,000 downloads, said Steffen Frost, chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Carticipate.

Calling itself an experiment in social transportation, Carticipate says it's the first and only rideshare application on a location aware mobile platform - in other words, a cell phone.

Carticipate says on its Web site that drivers can simply indicate destination and time of departure and post their ride. The company will match drivers up with other "carticipants" going the same way.

Meanwhile, in Kinsale, Ireland, a company called Avego is using a different application to coordinate drivers and riders. Drivers who want to share their car will download the application on their iPhone, then record their route of choice, reports the NYT.

Drivers place the iPhone on their dashboard. It records the trip, and sends the route to Avego's network. That route is then stored on Avego's system where it adds the route to a menu of paths and pick-up points,  then offers the ride to interested commuters.

Avego says it will charge 30 cents a mile with 85 percent going to the driver to help recoup costs and 15 percent to Avego. Riders do not need an iPhone to participate and can search for a ride by logging on the Avego Web site or texting. METRO's Star van

Would that work here in the United States? Americans historically enjoy driving alone, mainly because many engage in so-called "trip chaining" - when you run errands to and from work. About 75 percent of American workers drive alone to work, according to the Population Reference Bureau in Washington.

Here at METRO, we offer ridesharing through Star, our vanpool program.  Eligible riders can also receive a $35 month incentive to share a ride. We also have a free matching program, METROMatch, that will search our extensive eight-county data base to help you find a ride from home to work.  

Click here to see our Vanpool Finder, which will tell you if there are existing vanpools you could join.

 

Posted by Mary Sit
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    Steffen Frost said:

    We recently gave a talk on carticipation at the Silicon Valley iPhone Developers' Meetup in Palo Alto and posted the video here (select "high quality" mode):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaphdB6Wafs

    Making ride sharing and carpooling popular among the American public is an opportunity to increase our energy independence.

    The emergence of location aware smart phones enables carticipation, the planning and coordination of ride sharing via mobile social network applications, and offers new potential for change.

    Since you double the efficiency of a vehicle when sharing a ride, a carticipation rate of 10% by American drivers would translate to an increase of 5% in efficiency of the overall US vehicle fleet.  Accomplish the same with vehicle technology would cost the automotive industry billions in R&D.  On a cost basis, carticipative social change would trump, and yet compliment new automotive technology.

    US oil consumption is 20.73 million bbl/day (2004 est.) according to

    https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html

    A 5% increase in efficiency means 1Mbbl/day of demand destruction in US oil consumption.  At $40 - $100/barrel, this means $40M-$100M/day of value creation, not to mention dividends to the environment and our national security.  This is a big prize.

    # December 22, 2008 11:43 PM

    Mary Sit said:

    Thank you for your comment, Steffen. Your application is all about creating social change - and if you can pull it off, not only do we as individuals save gas and money, we help our environment, as you pointed out.

    To our other readers:

    Yesterday, I talked with Steffen after publishing this post and got an update on what Carticipate is doing. This week, the company is planning to partner with Facebook. That means you don't have to own an iPhone to particpate.

    If you have a Facebook account,you can register with Carticipate, set up locations, and search for rides or post rides. If you do have an iPhone, you can synch it with your Facebook account.

    For those of you who worry about the safety of riding with a stranger (something I'm concerned about as are other women, I'm sure), Carticipate says it plans to start a women's carticipation group - run by women, for women exclusievly. You must be accepted by two women to be a member.

    "If you are a woman, you can restrict to search only - then pick and choose who you're going to participate with," said Steffen Frost. "You do see the person's profile, so you have some basis to make a judgment. When you add social networking - you see the person's friends - friending is what you have to to on Facebook - that gives you another level of security."

    The firm also plans to launch a corporate carticipation group whose members have valid e-mail addresses.  

    # December 23, 2008 4:14 PM

    DominicMazoch said:

    Mary,

    Was that STAR van picture taken at the Kuykendal P&R lot?

    # December 23, 2008 11:12 PM

    DominicMazoch said:

    I think this is a hybryd service:  a cross between carpooling, taxi cab, and paratransit.

    Now, what is the thinking of the insurance companies, due to the "hire" situation.

    # December 23, 2008 11:15 PM

    Mary Sit said:

    DominicMazoch,

    I don't know but will try to find out for you.

    # December 29, 2008 10:44 AM
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