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Unlike Uber, they appear to talk about a real carsharing system, as opposed to a taxi service with a lower entry barrier. The prices will be much lower since w

Unlike Uber, they appear to talk about a real carsharing system, as opposed to a taxi service with a lower entry barrier. The prices will be much lower since we are talking about the marginal cost of adding another passenger to an already happening trip - and with full info on where people are going, Waze effectively has an endless supply of trips that are happening, it's just a matter of displaying a pop-up "Hey, Alex is going to the same place as you, do you want to give him a ride for 5$?". So the actual support required will be minimal to zero, it's just a software app to simplify what people already do, not a full transport service.

pavel_lishin 9y ago
You just described the pure software world solution. What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? Or steals something from my car? What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store, or back home to grab the laptop they forgot, or to score some heroin? What happens when the driver gropes me? Or I grope the driver? You absolutely need actual support, it's not going to be minimal-to-zero. Both the driver and the passenger need to be able to pick up a phone number and speak to a real human being who can resolve some sort of issue.
- pizzetta 9y ago
  They have probably worked those issues out by dogfooding this internally already, don't you think? It's not like they just thought it up and didn't test it out internally as they are wont to do. Those issues were likely discovered and have mitigation. Googliness only gets people to be nice to a point.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    > They have probably worked those issues out by dogfooding this internally already, don't you think? They absolutely could not work out the problem of being, e.g., abused by a driver, internally. By being employees of the company that provides the service, they have an automatic customer service hotline by way of HR. If I catch a ride to work with my coworker Jeremy, by using a company-supplied app explicitly for us to test, and Jeremy gropes me, you bet your ass HR is going to hear about it as soon as I hang up with the police department.
    - pizzetta 9y ago
      You make a good point. However, you imply that the watchful eye of HR would prevent this happening and yet Google is not sex-crimes free. I grant that it may show up in lower numbers but these things will show up in a years-long program.
      - pavel_lishin 9y ago
        There's also the general stigma against, e.g., stealing from a coworker, or vomiting in a coworker's car, or being a shitty driver.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- nerdponx 9y ago
  This is exactly how Uber turned into a taxi service. They tried ridesharing, it turns out that people in cars do sketchy things and piss each other off, or worse. I would rather see local grassroots organizations take on this project.
  - dwightgunning 9y ago
    Any references to stories/articles about their ride sharing efforts? Was it prior to their incorporation as UberCab or an experiment from further along?
    - taneq 9y ago
      No links but I'm pretty sure they started off as actual ride-sharing, as in an app to help people car-pool. I'm assuming there was an "a-ha" moment when they realised the laws protecting state-authorized taxi services could be circumvented if you hailed the taxi via a phone app rather than by flagging them down.
      - spullara 9y ago
        Uber started as a better car service and had little to do with ride sharing. Go read their pitch deck. https://techcrunch.com/gallery/here-is-ubers-first-pitch-deck/ https://techcrunch.com/gallery/here-is-ubers-first-pitch-dec...
    - nerdponx 9y ago
      It seems (from the pitch deck posted in another comment) that I had conflated "ride sharing" with "unregulated use of your car and free time to work for a cab service". It seems I was biased by all the "sharing economy" BS and jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have jumped to.
    - zaidf 9y ago
      ZimRide preceded UberCar. They largely targeted college campuses. Universities would pay them an annual subscription fee to enable ride sharing on their campus.
- Cthulhu_ 9y ago
  That's probably a similar, if not the same problems that AirBnB has to deal with regularly; how do they solve it? IIRC though, for that one it's more of an outlier - most people are decent people.
- cornholio 9y ago
  The same thing that happens in the non-Waze case: you kick them out, call the police, get mugged etc. The pure software world exists from Google's perspective, they provide zero support and then it's just a matter of individual choice if you want to use the service or not. Google can go a long way into making this significantly safer than random pick-up: you can select female only drivers or riders, only riders from your area, they can implement a minimal account age that uniquely identifies the wazer simply via ride history - even if they use an anonymous login and fake credit card data, and so on. It's a bit harder to protect against rogue riders since they need to be able to use the app immediately, but still, phone number and credit card verification is much better the letting a random stranger into your car. If not too intrusive, they could even ask riders for a frontal picture that the driver can verify and that remains on record. So for people who would carpool anyway, it's a much better option.
  - pron 9y ago
    > The same thing that happens in the non-Waze case: you kick them out, call the police, get mugged etc. It's not so simple. Normally people, at least in cities, rarely hitchhike or take up hitchhikers. The goal here is to make it acceptable, and naturally greatly increase the frequency this is happening. This can be reasonably taken as an endorsement by Google to the driver/passenger, because it is -- they want this to happen more often, and are essentially saying "it's OK to hitchhike through our app". This means that they can reasonably be seen as taking part in the entire transaction and assuming some portion of the liability.
    - cornholio 9y ago
      You are pushing the argument a bit by assuming that people will treat it as something different than hitchhiking simply because it's via an app and in-city. There is no reason to asume that - but I do agree that false advertising from Google and failure to properly inform the users of the risks could expose Google to such a liability. The answer is not to add customer support, but to be honest with the users regarding the risks- and make large commissions in the process.
- WhiteOwlLion 9y ago
  These things could happen, but since the product/service is about carpooling, I tend to pick up the same people repeatedly. Any time you work with a new person, there is a risk. That risk goes down significantly with repeated rides. I initially had issues with pick up and drop off location, due to Waze letting you pick how many minutes you're willing to walk. With new riders, I have a chat before accepting so they understand the nuances of Waze Carpool.
- samstave 9y ago
  Wow what a skit! Oh hai! I’m going to the city center! Ooooh what a nicer phone charger than I have Oh shoot I forgot my laptop can we go back it will only take a second OH! I forgot - please stop at 123 B street - don’t worry it’s on the way... this will only take a sec! Wait! I said I was going to Blake square, but now I’m going to jack square! - I’m so sorry, but don’t worry I’ll rate you five stars!
- amelius 9y ago
  These are exceptions. If they happen, they are your problem. And if they eventually cost Google money, then that's no problem because they are exceptions anyway. So that's how Google gets away with it.
- danellis 9y ago
  > What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? You clean it up and make a decision about whether you'd pick them up again. > Or steals something from my car? You call the police and tell them who that person is and where they live. > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? You tell them to drop you off and you don't ride with them again. > Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store If you're fine with it, you go along with it. If you're not find with it, see above. > or back home to grab the laptop they forgot See above. > or to score some heroin? If you like heroin, ask them to pick you some up too. If not, see above. > What happens when the driver gropes me? Get out, report them to the police, don't ride with them again. > Or I grope the driver? Please don't do that. Is it really Waze's job to resolve these issues beyond blacklisting users?
  - jstandard 9y ago
    From a PR standpoint, absolutely yes.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    > > Or I grope the driver? > Please don't do that. Do you think that's going to be Waze's official FAQ entry on this topic?
- kbenson 9y ago
  > What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? Guess you have to use some of that hard earned ridesharing money to deal with the occasional downside such as this. It's not just free money, and anyone that thinks in terms ot cash for ride and that's the only things to think of is naive. You've thought it these scenarios, other people should too, and take that into account when deciding if it's worth it. > Or steals something from my car? File a police report. > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? Let them out at the first feasible opportunity, as long as there is some infrastructure (or they accept the location). Let them deal with finding transport from there. > Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store, or back home to grab the laptop they forgot, or to score some heroin? Let them out as above, they can secure additional transport on their own. > What happens when the driver gropes me? Or I grope the driver? File a police report. > You absolutely need actual support, it's not going to be minimal-to-zero. Both the driver and the passenger need to be able to pick up a phone number and speak to a real human being who can resolve some sort of issue. You do need support, but clear and up-front expectations can reduce that quite a bit. I agree Google is horrible at this, and hasn't shown themselves as able to supply even the minimal amount of support I noted above. I'm honestly surprised that Google doesn't create separate companies to handle actual product sales (and keep the Google name for the product if they feel the need) just to get past this horrible part of their culture. They just can't support anything adequately. Then again, we keep using their products even with this crappy support, so it's not like the market is punishing them enough to make them care. :/
  - oefrha 9y ago
    > > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? > Let them out at the first feasible opportunity, as long as there is some infrastructure (or they accept the location). Let them deal with finding transport from there. Nope, gp was talking about getting picked up by someone who changes mind. You can't let them out, it's their car.
    - kbenson 9y ago
      Oh. Drop the passenger of at an appropriate interim location, and you're forced to fund part or all of their subsequent trip accommodations to their original destination.
- hrktb 9y ago
  Good point. I think it’s intersting that you go to medium for even small claims is a phone call. I find the level of support we can get over chat to be pretty good nowadays, my bank, insurance, company HR also deals with all non lofe threatening issues by mail and messaging only. We’re finaly getting away from a phone centric world, and I feel the service is actualy better while cheaper and more efficient.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    I specifically chose "phone call" because it's an instant response, and you're certain you're talking to a human being - someone who can empathize, and who can elevate, and who's focused on you, right now. A chat box? That can be a bot. That can be someone in a call center in Hyderabad or Abilene. That can be someone juggling five conversations at the same time, whose ability to escalate starts and ends at a button, the effects of which they don't even really understand.
  - nugi 9y ago
    We are not. I consistently choose phone support because it is nearly always superior.
- zamalek 9y ago
  For these reasons I would seriously like to see is a carpooling system for regular trips, e.g. to and back from work. Intuitively, at least for me, that has fewer risks.
- ACow_Adonis 9y ago
  I'm actually kind of fascinated that an app that potentially sovles a problem via enabling a social solution is actually being phrase as a "software world solution". More so, I'm amazed that what would previously have been deemed a "social issue" that you just have to deal with every day in dealing with other people in a car pool or society in general is now being framed as a commercial issue that needs customer support/someone to blame other than the people involved in the actual car. Rather than being a software world solution, it seems we're heading further and further down the path where what is deemed a "solution" is the thing that tries to remove any element of social-interaction/community and places that in the context of commerical/legal interaction. Have we really gotten to the point where its so radical to suggest that we survive without a commercial entity to blame when we car pool? And that this entity is doing something that helps us by enabling car pooling, rather than hurting us or which is responsible for what happens to us when we carpool? Edit: I mean, the other thing about carpooling...these are people who have likely been: a) have a verified form of identification b) commonly live and work in your own community c) will grow to commonly carpool with you actually, there's an issue from the provider's point of view. After the initial contact and period of time...i need them in this as a third party...why exactly?
bluedino 9y ago
>> the marginal cost of adding another passenger to an already happening trip As minor as it is, going to pick someone else up and take them with me is pretty big inconvenience, especially in time.
- cornholio 9y ago
  1 hour of commuting could cost something like 30$ in gas (Europe), vechile depreciation and tolls. Sharing that cost 50-50 or 33-33-33 for a 5-10 minutes delay would yield a 120-180$ / hour rate for the delay period. Very few people could afford to turn that down, it's the average income of an whole hour of work compressed into 5 minutes.
  - triplesec 9y ago
    You're not going to get anything like those figures. See blablacar.com for current rates
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
Shivetya 9y ago
still going to run awry of the recent push by many jurisdictions to shut down or muzzle Uber. If anything many politicians will just see it as and end run / play of words. Now the fun would come when participants are also in their local cities ride share program. We (Atlanta) have apps for Ride Share and Carpooling already. However the state did run car pooling / ride sharing incentives you could sign up for. I would assume other cities had similar, the key difference here is the driver was not charging. Also, be damn careful your insurance limits and restrictions if you ever do either method.
loorinm 9y ago
If this is the logic behind Waze Carpool, they are SERIOUSLY misguided. If I own a car and and I’m driving to work, my privacy and security during my commute is worth a lot more than $5. No way I’m picking up randos and sitting in silence with them for an hour for a measly coffee.
- nugi 9y ago
  Yup, and think of the caliber of car and driver that would appeal to.
  - robotresearcher 9y ago
    'Calibre'? People without spare money are of the wrong 'calibre'? We weren't all born with latte money to spare. A CEO, brain surgeon or astronaut might have had a shitty car and been happy for an easy $5 when they were in grad school. Calibre my ass.
    - warkdarrior 9y ago
      If the carpooling passengers could be "randos" that someone may be worried about, the carpooling drivers could be "of the wrong calibre" that someone may be worried about as well.
- exclusiv 9y ago
  I think one of the key benefits for some users is that they can use the HOV lane and save a good chunk of time every day. And many people aren't like you - they might make minimum wage and gas is a big expense for them. Now I wouldn't do it for the reasons you mentioned but we must remember that we're a fortunate group.
  - uberduber 9y ago
    I've only used Waze Carpool as a rider and mostly on 60 min+ long trips, but most of the drivers I had were just tired of the long commute and looking for someone to entertain them. They were tired of audiobooks and podcasts. Even though I was going ~20 miles in the carpool lane most of the time, the 10 minutes they saved would be wiped out by the 15-20 minutes they had to go out of their way to pick me up and drop me off. Everyone told me I was the only one going that far, most of the carpools they could only use the carpool lane for 3-4 miles which didn't save any time. Other than that, I had two drivers who wanted to do their part to save the earth by carpooling which were fine. I also had two drivers who were nice but just really wanted the gas money. Those drivers both had really old cars that were dirty with trash and seemed poorly maintained. While they were ok drivers, I really did question if the tires were bald or what would happen if we were in an accident.
djrogers 9y ago
> So the actual support required will be minimal to zero, it's just a software app Sigh... Where can one start with this? It’s like trying to argue with flat-earthers, where logic and infinite ost experience don’t matter.
- bichiliad 9y ago
  That's not particularly constructive, although I don't disagree with you here. If you have experience here, what has it told you?
  - kls 9y ago
    Eventually one of the 1000 or so Alexes is going to grope somebody.
  - djrogers 9y ago
    There is no such thing as software which interacts with humans that doesn’t require maintenance. On top of that, you can’t coordinate people to do things without incurring some degree of liability for their actions, and humans are capable of some pretty horrible actions when you put enough of them together.
    - hndamien 9y ago
      Decentralised services mitigate the somebody taking liability for the coordination.
EGreg 9y ago
In many jurisdictions, accepting payment for a ride causes you to be a taxi service, and regulated like one. I wonder how Waze would deal with this!

pavel_lishin 9y ago

You just described the pure software world solution. What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? Or steals something from my car? What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store, or back home to grab the laptop they forgot, or to score some heroin? What happens when the driver gropes me? Or I grope the driver? You absolutely need actual support, it's not going to be minimal-to-zero. Both the driver and the passenger need to be able to pick up a phone number and speak to a real human being who can resolve some sort of issue.

pizzetta 9y ago
They have probably worked those issues out by dogfooding this internally already, don't you think? It's not like they just thought it up and didn't test it out internally as they are wont to do. Those issues were likely discovered and have mitigation. Googliness only gets people to be nice to a point.
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  > They have probably worked those issues out by dogfooding this internally already, don't you think? They absolutely could not work out the problem of being, e.g., abused by a driver, internally. By being employees of the company that provides the service, they have an automatic customer service hotline by way of HR. If I catch a ride to work with my coworker Jeremy, by using a company-supplied app explicitly for us to test, and Jeremy gropes me, you bet your ass HR is going to hear about it as soon as I hang up with the police department.
  - pizzetta 9y ago
    You make a good point. However, you imply that the watchful eye of HR would prevent this happening and yet Google is not sex-crimes free. I grant that it may show up in lower numbers but these things will show up in a years-long program.
    - pavel_lishin 9y ago
      There's also the general stigma against, e.g., stealing from a coworker, or vomiting in a coworker's car, or being a shitty driver.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
nerdponx 9y ago
This is exactly how Uber turned into a taxi service. They tried ridesharing, it turns out that people in cars do sketchy things and piss each other off, or worse. I would rather see local grassroots organizations take on this project.
- dwightgunning 9y ago
  Any references to stories/articles about their ride sharing efforts? Was it prior to their incorporation as UberCab or an experiment from further along?
  - taneq 9y ago
    No links but I'm pretty sure they started off as actual ride-sharing, as in an app to help people car-pool. I'm assuming there was an "a-ha" moment when they realised the laws protecting state-authorized taxi services could be circumvented if you hailed the taxi via a phone app rather than by flagging them down.
    - spullara 9y ago
      Uber started as a better car service and had little to do with ride sharing. Go read their pitch deck. https://techcrunch.com/gallery/here-is-ubers-first-pitch-deck/ https://techcrunch.com/gallery/here-is-ubers-first-pitch-dec...
  - nerdponx 9y ago
    It seems (from the pitch deck posted in another comment) that I had conflated "ride sharing" with "unregulated use of your car and free time to work for a cab service". It seems I was biased by all the "sharing economy" BS and jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have jumped to.
  - zaidf 9y ago
    ZimRide preceded UberCar. They largely targeted college campuses. Universities would pay them an annual subscription fee to enable ride sharing on their campus.
Cthulhu_ 9y ago
That's probably a similar, if not the same problems that AirBnB has to deal with regularly; how do they solve it? IIRC though, for that one it's more of an outlier - most people are decent people.
cornholio 9y ago
The same thing that happens in the non-Waze case: you kick them out, call the police, get mugged etc. The pure software world exists from Google's perspective, they provide zero support and then it's just a matter of individual choice if you want to use the service or not. Google can go a long way into making this significantly safer than random pick-up: you can select female only drivers or riders, only riders from your area, they can implement a minimal account age that uniquely identifies the wazer simply via ride history - even if they use an anonymous login and fake credit card data, and so on. It's a bit harder to protect against rogue riders since they need to be able to use the app immediately, but still, phone number and credit card verification is much better the letting a random stranger into your car. If not too intrusive, they could even ask riders for a frontal picture that the driver can verify and that remains on record. So for people who would carpool anyway, it's a much better option.
- pron 9y ago
  > The same thing that happens in the non-Waze case: you kick them out, call the police, get mugged etc. It's not so simple. Normally people, at least in cities, rarely hitchhike or take up hitchhikers. The goal here is to make it acceptable, and naturally greatly increase the frequency this is happening. This can be reasonably taken as an endorsement by Google to the driver/passenger, because it is -- they want this to happen more often, and are essentially saying "it's OK to hitchhike through our app". This means that they can reasonably be seen as taking part in the entire transaction and assuming some portion of the liability.
  - cornholio 9y ago
    You are pushing the argument a bit by assuming that people will treat it as something different than hitchhiking simply because it's via an app and in-city. There is no reason to asume that - but I do agree that false advertising from Google and failure to properly inform the users of the risks could expose Google to such a liability. The answer is not to add customer support, but to be honest with the users regarding the risks- and make large commissions in the process.
WhiteOwlLion 9y ago
These things could happen, but since the product/service is about carpooling, I tend to pick up the same people repeatedly. Any time you work with a new person, there is a risk. That risk goes down significantly with repeated rides. I initially had issues with pick up and drop off location, due to Waze letting you pick how many minutes you're willing to walk. With new riders, I have a chat before accepting so they understand the nuances of Waze Carpool.
samstave 9y ago
Wow what a skit! Oh hai! I’m going to the city center! Ooooh what a nicer phone charger than I have Oh shoot I forgot my laptop can we go back it will only take a second OH! I forgot - please stop at 123 B street - don’t worry it’s on the way... this will only take a sec! Wait! I said I was going to Blake square, but now I’m going to jack square! - I’m so sorry, but don’t worry I’ll rate you five stars!
amelius 9y ago
These are exceptions. If they happen, they are your problem. And if they eventually cost Google money, then that's no problem because they are exceptions anyway. So that's how Google gets away with it.
danellis 9y ago
> What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? You clean it up and make a decision about whether you'd pick them up again. > Or steals something from my car? You call the police and tell them who that person is and where they live. > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? You tell them to drop you off and you don't ride with them again. > Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store If you're fine with it, you go along with it. If you're not find with it, see above. > or back home to grab the laptop they forgot See above. > or to score some heroin? If you like heroin, ask them to pick you some up too. If not, see above. > What happens when the driver gropes me? Get out, report them to the police, don't ride with them again. > Or I grope the driver? Please don't do that. Is it really Waze's job to resolve these issues beyond blacklisting users?
- jstandard 9y ago
  From a PR standpoint, absolutely yes.
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  > > Or I grope the driver? > Please don't do that. Do you think that's going to be Waze's official FAQ entry on this topic?
kbenson 9y ago
> What happens when the commuter I pick up vomits in my car? Guess you have to use some of that hard earned ridesharing money to deal with the occasional downside such as this. It's not just free money, and anyone that thinks in terms ot cash for ride and that's the only things to think of is naive. You've thought it these scenarios, other people should too, and take that into account when deciding if it's worth it. > Or steals something from my car? File a police report. > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? Let them out at the first feasible opportunity, as long as there is some infrastructure (or they accept the location). Let them deal with finding transport from there. > Or decide to take an unplanned detour to go to the store, or back home to grab the laptop they forgot, or to score some heroin? Let them out as above, they can secure additional transport on their own. > What happens when the driver gropes me? Or I grope the driver? File a police report. > You absolutely need actual support, it's not going to be minimal-to-zero. Both the driver and the passenger need to be able to pick up a phone number and speak to a real human being who can resolve some sort of issue. You do need support, but clear and up-front expectations can reduce that quite a bit. I agree Google is horrible at this, and hasn't shown themselves as able to supply even the minimal amount of support I noted above. I'm honestly surprised that Google doesn't create separate companies to handle actual product sales (and keep the Google name for the product if they feel the need) just to get past this horrible part of their culture. They just can't support anything adequately. Then again, we keep using their products even with this crappy support, so it's not like the market is punishing them enough to make them care. :/
- oefrha 9y ago
  > > What happens if I get picked up by a person who changes their mind about where they're going? > Let them out at the first feasible opportunity, as long as there is some infrastructure (or they accept the location). Let them deal with finding transport from there. Nope, gp was talking about getting picked up by someone who changes mind. You can't let them out, it's their car.
  - kbenson 9y ago
    Oh. Drop the passenger of at an appropriate interim location, and you're forced to fund part or all of their subsequent trip accommodations to their original destination.
hrktb 9y ago
Good point. I think it’s intersting that you go to medium for even small claims is a phone call. I find the level of support we can get over chat to be pretty good nowadays, my bank, insurance, company HR also deals with all non lofe threatening issues by mail and messaging only. We’re finaly getting away from a phone centric world, and I feel the service is actualy better while cheaper and more efficient.
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  I specifically chose "phone call" because it's an instant response, and you're certain you're talking to a human being - someone who can empathize, and who can elevate, and who's focused on you, right now. A chat box? That can be a bot. That can be someone in a call center in Hyderabad or Abilene. That can be someone juggling five conversations at the same time, whose ability to escalate starts and ends at a button, the effects of which they don't even really understand.
- nugi 9y ago
  We are not. I consistently choose phone support because it is nearly always superior.
zamalek 9y ago
For these reasons I would seriously like to see is a carpooling system for regular trips, e.g. to and back from work. Intuitively, at least for me, that has fewer risks.
ACow_Adonis 9y ago
I'm actually kind of fascinated that an app that potentially sovles a problem via enabling a social solution is actually being phrase as a "software world solution". More so, I'm amazed that what would previously have been deemed a "social issue" that you just have to deal with every day in dealing with other people in a car pool or society in general is now being framed as a commercial issue that needs customer support/someone to blame other than the people involved in the actual car. Rather than being a software world solution, it seems we're heading further and further down the path where what is deemed a "solution" is the thing that tries to remove any element of social-interaction/community and places that in the context of commerical/legal interaction. Have we really gotten to the point where its so radical to suggest that we survive without a commercial entity to blame when we car pool? And that this entity is doing something that helps us by enabling car pooling, rather than hurting us or which is responsible for what happens to us when we carpool? Edit: I mean, the other thing about carpooling...these are people who have likely been: a) have a verified form of identification b) commonly live and work in your own community c) will grow to commonly carpool with you actually, there's an issue from the provider's point of view. After the initial contact and period of time...i need them in this as a third party...why exactly?

bluedino 9y ago

>> the marginal cost of adding another passenger to an already happening trip As minor as it is, going to pick someone else up and take them with me is pretty big inconvenience, especially in time.

cornholio 9y ago
1 hour of commuting could cost something like 30$ in gas (Europe), vechile depreciation and tolls. Sharing that cost 50-50 or 33-33-33 for a 5-10 minutes delay would yield a 120-180$ / hour rate for the delay period. Very few people could afford to turn that down, it's the average income of an whole hour of work compressed into 5 minutes.
- triplesec 9y ago
  You're not going to get anything like those figures. See blablacar.com for current rates
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

Shivetya 9y ago

still going to run awry of the recent push by many jurisdictions to shut down or muzzle Uber. If anything many politicians will just see it as and end run / play of words. Now the fun would come when participants are also in their local cities ride share program. We (Atlanta) have apps for Ride Share and Carpooling already. However the state did run car pooling / ride sharing incentives you could sign up for. I would assume other cities had similar, the key difference here is the driver was not charging. Also, be damn careful your insurance limits and restrictions if you ever do either method.

loorinm 9y ago

If this is the logic behind Waze Carpool, they are SERIOUSLY misguided. If I own a car and and I’m driving to work, my privacy and security during my commute is worth a lot more than $5. No way I’m picking up randos and sitting in silence with them for an hour for a measly coffee.

nugi 9y ago
Yup, and think of the caliber of car and driver that would appeal to.
- robotresearcher 9y ago
  'Calibre'? People without spare money are of the wrong 'calibre'? We weren't all born with latte money to spare. A CEO, brain surgeon or astronaut might have had a shitty car and been happy for an easy $5 when they were in grad school. Calibre my ass.
  - warkdarrior 9y ago
    If the carpooling passengers could be "randos" that someone may be worried about, the carpooling drivers could be "of the wrong calibre" that someone may be worried about as well.
exclusiv 9y ago
I think one of the key benefits for some users is that they can use the HOV lane and save a good chunk of time every day. And many people aren't like you - they might make minimum wage and gas is a big expense for them. Now I wouldn't do it for the reasons you mentioned but we must remember that we're a fortunate group.
- uberduber 9y ago
  I've only used Waze Carpool as a rider and mostly on 60 min+ long trips, but most of the drivers I had were just tired of the long commute and looking for someone to entertain them. They were tired of audiobooks and podcasts. Even though I was going ~20 miles in the carpool lane most of the time, the 10 minutes they saved would be wiped out by the 15-20 minutes they had to go out of their way to pick me up and drop me off. Everyone told me I was the only one going that far, most of the carpools they could only use the carpool lane for 3-4 miles which didn't save any time. Other than that, I had two drivers who wanted to do their part to save the earth by carpooling which were fine. I also had two drivers who were nice but just really wanted the gas money. Those drivers both had really old cars that were dirty with trash and seemed poorly maintained. While they were ok drivers, I really did question if the tires were bald or what would happen if we were in an accident.

djrogers 9y ago

> So the actual support required will be minimal to zero, it's just a software app Sigh... Where can one start with this? It’s like trying to argue with flat-earthers, where logic and infinite ost experience don’t matter.

bichiliad 9y ago
That's not particularly constructive, although I don't disagree with you here. If you have experience here, what has it told you?
- kls 9y ago
  Eventually one of the 1000 or so Alexes is going to grope somebody.
- djrogers 9y ago
  There is no such thing as software which interacts with humans that doesn’t require maintenance. On top of that, you can’t coordinate people to do things without incurring some degree of liability for their actions, and humans are capable of some pretty horrible actions when you put enough of them together.
  - hndamien 9y ago
    Decentralised services mitigate the somebody taking liability for the coordination.

EGreg 9y ago

In many jurisdictions, accepting payment for a ride causes you to be a taxi service, and regulated like one. I wonder how Waze would deal with this!