4 ms·

It totally exists, it's just not a tech company https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugging

synu 4y ago
That was really common at Microsoft in the late 90s (and may still be) to be able to use the HOV lanes when driving from Redmond to Seattle. It worked well because you were picking up colleagues, which sort of established a certain level of trust.
- woodruffw 4y ago
  My understanding is that it's also still very common in DC's beltway, for similar reasons (lots of civil servants going to similar areas, living nearby each other).
- filoleg 4y ago
  I don't know how it is now, because I've left since then. But in pre-covid times, Microsoft was pushing/advertising this carpool app they partnered with called Scoop. Similar idea, except it can include workers from other companies as well, and it isn't for making money for the driver, but just to cover the cost of gas + to be able to use the HOV lane. As a passenger, you schedule your approximate time to go to work (or from work, or both, depending on how you want to use it), and the app matches you with a driver for the next morning who is going to about the same area, but maybe a different building. So they pick you up, drop you off, and go along their merry way, and you are only out of about $5-7 or so (that was the rate for going from Seattle downtown to Redmond, which is about a factor of 6-8 cheaper than an uber/lyft was at the time). I used it as both a driver (a few times) and as a passenger (many times). Feels like a pretty great idea that worked well. If I was driving, I didn't mind a 5 minute reroute to pick up or drop off someone nearby, and those $7 + (more importantly) HOV lane access were totally worth it. I estimated that the HOV lane access alone saved me significantly more time than I lost by going out of my way to pick up/drop off the passenger. And the fact that those people are guaranteed to not be randos, but either other MSFT employees or employees of other nearby companies made it much more trustworthy for me (the app required work email to sign up). Obviously, this wasn't meant to be an uber/lyft alternative, as it is only useful for going to/from work and only during specific days/hours. And you gotta schedule/get matched with a driver the night before, you cannot just wake up and spontaneously get a ride. Which makes sense given the context, because people typically want to have their commute to work planned the night before.
endisneigh 4y ago
huh. I've never heard of this. thanks for the link. though, what I'm describing ideally could be beyond driving. the same sort of "trust" would also be helpful for selecting someone to take care of your children, clean your house, etc.
- BoiledCabbage 4y ago
  I swear this country is going to try to implement all of the worst aspects of China's authoritatiran system and claim it's all 'ok' because it's capitalist and to serve business instead of the govt. Implementing a Chinese style societal "social credit" system is not a good thing. Even if it would make it a bit cheaper to undercut Uber. Making every action and interation you have in life tracked and rated is not a net plus. The constant visibility and permanance of everything is part of why middle school and high schoolers are having such trouble now. They can't develop as teenagers as they are already part way to living in '1984' with every action tracked via social media. https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-p... > The Chinese Communist Party has been constructing a moral ranking system for years that will monitor the behavior of its enormous population — and rank them all based on their "social credit." > But at the moment the system is piecemeal and voluntary, though the plan is for it to eventually be mandatory and unified across the nation, with each person given their own unique code used to measure their social credit score in real-time, per Wired. > The exact methodology is a secret — but examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games, and posting fake news online, specifically about terrorist attacks or airport security. > Authorities banned people from purchasing flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018, according to the National Public Credit Information Centre, as the Guardian reported. > And in July of 2018, a Chinese university denied an incoming student his spot because the student's father had a bad social credit score for failing to repay a loan. *Please* fellow tech people. Whether you work in ML, DS, or software for a random business or open source project please think through the societal impact and long-run end state of what you propose and produce. We really have to move past the days of "I'm just an engineer I'll only focus on the tech and ignore the impact of my work on society". Implementing China's societal wide social credit system is a bad path. And of course the argument will be, "well anyone who doesn't want to use it doesn't have to". And then that will turn into, "well most companies offer discounts if you use it." Then to "well most companies offer higher rates if you don't use it". Then "most companies won't serve you if you don't use it". Then it's universal in society just as if govt mandated, but people will consider it less horrific because it was slipery slope implemented vs via a mandate.
toomuchtodo 4y ago
Are there any open source solutions that could enable this to be offered as a non profit platform?

synu 4y ago

That was really common at Microsoft in the late 90s (and may still be) to be able to use the HOV lanes when driving from Redmond to Seattle. It worked well because you were picking up colleagues, which sort of established a certain level of trust.

woodruffw 4y ago
My understanding is that it's also still very common in DC's beltway, for similar reasons (lots of civil servants going to similar areas, living nearby each other).
filoleg 4y ago
I don't know how it is now, because I've left since then. But in pre-covid times, Microsoft was pushing/advertising this carpool app they partnered with called Scoop. Similar idea, except it can include workers from other companies as well, and it isn't for making money for the driver, but just to cover the cost of gas + to be able to use the HOV lane. As a passenger, you schedule your approximate time to go to work (or from work, or both, depending on how you want to use it), and the app matches you with a driver for the next morning who is going to about the same area, but maybe a different building. So they pick you up, drop you off, and go along their merry way, and you are only out of about $5-7 or so (that was the rate for going from Seattle downtown to Redmond, which is about a factor of 6-8 cheaper than an uber/lyft was at the time). I used it as both a driver (a few times) and as a passenger (many times). Feels like a pretty great idea that worked well. If I was driving, I didn't mind a 5 minute reroute to pick up or drop off someone nearby, and those $7 + (more importantly) HOV lane access were totally worth it. I estimated that the HOV lane access alone saved me significantly more time than I lost by going out of my way to pick up/drop off the passenger. And the fact that those people are guaranteed to not be randos, but either other MSFT employees or employees of other nearby companies made it much more trustworthy for me (the app required work email to sign up). Obviously, this wasn't meant to be an uber/lyft alternative, as it is only useful for going to/from work and only during specific days/hours. And you gotta schedule/get matched with a driver the night before, you cannot just wake up and spontaneously get a ride. Which makes sense given the context, because people typically want to have their commute to work planned the night before.

endisneigh 4y ago

huh. I've never heard of this. thanks for the link. though, what I'm describing ideally could be beyond driving. the same sort of "trust" would also be helpful for selecting someone to take care of your children, clean your house, etc.

BoiledCabbage 4y ago
I swear this country is going to try to implement all of the worst aspects of China's authoritatiran system and claim it's all 'ok' because it's capitalist and to serve business instead of the govt. Implementing a Chinese style societal "social credit" system is not a good thing. Even if it would make it a bit cheaper to undercut Uber. Making every action and interation you have in life tracked and rated is not a net plus. The constant visibility and permanance of everything is part of why middle school and high schoolers are having such trouble now. They can't develop as teenagers as they are already part way to living in '1984' with every action tracked via social media. https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-p... > The Chinese Communist Party has been constructing a moral ranking system for years that will monitor the behavior of its enormous population — and rank them all based on their "social credit." > But at the moment the system is piecemeal and voluntary, though the plan is for it to eventually be mandatory and unified across the nation, with each person given their own unique code used to measure their social credit score in real-time, per Wired. > The exact methodology is a secret — but examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games, and posting fake news online, specifically about terrorist attacks or airport security. > Authorities banned people from purchasing flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018, according to the National Public Credit Information Centre, as the Guardian reported. > And in July of 2018, a Chinese university denied an incoming student his spot because the student's father had a bad social credit score for failing to repay a loan. *Please* fellow tech people. Whether you work in ML, DS, or software for a random business or open source project please think through the societal impact and long-run end state of what you propose and produce. We really have to move past the days of "I'm just an engineer I'll only focus on the tech and ignore the impact of my work on society". Implementing China's societal wide social credit system is a bad path. And of course the argument will be, "well anyone who doesn't want to use it doesn't have to". And then that will turn into, "well most companies offer discounts if you use it." Then to "well most companies offer higher rates if you don't use it". Then "most companies won't serve you if you don't use it". Then it's universal in society just as if govt mandated, but people will consider it less horrific because it was slipery slope implemented vs via a mandate.

toomuchtodo 4y ago

Are there any open source solutions that could enable this to be offered as a non profit platform?