Would You Use an iPhone App to Set Up a Carpool?
If you're a commuter, chances are you drive to work alone -- after all, 76% of us do, producing three quarters of all transportation emissions along the way. The whole point of the book Bowling Alone is that Americans aren't as sociable as they used to be -- only 64% drove alone in 1980 -- and that's why the carpool bit the dust.
Don't think driving's a problem? How about that New Orleans oil spill?
A company called Avego thinks it has a solution for our wired-in times. It does require relating to other human beings, though. "Shared Transport" is a variation on the informal "slugging" or "casual carpooling" that has grown up around congested highways in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Because cars with two or more occupants can travel in the HOV lanes, people gather at set take-up points for free rides.
Try walking instead; here are the 10 most walkable cities in the country.
Avego Shared Transport is a free iPhone app for on-demand ride-sharing, and it's just been updated to be more user-friendly. The driver, registered online by Avego, gets ride requests on the iPhone from would-be riders.
Want to help? These 15 easy things will help save the environment.
According to Steve Hansen of ITS America, a transit-promoting nonprofit that gave Avego an award for its ride-sharing app, drivers verify the rider's identity with a one-time auto-generated PIN number. The driver is directed to the pick-up point, and the rider gets regular GPS-based updates on the car's approach. The market incentive is $1 plus 20 cents a mile automatically debited from the rider's account. The driver gets 85 percent of the money and Avego 15 percent.
Get a fuel-efficient car. Here are the best of 2010.
Worried that you'll pick up a serial killer or maybe just a creep? There's no guarantee you won't, but Avego says it will introduce a self-policing feature that includes a one- to five-star rating for riders and drivers. According to Jason Conley, director of government relations at Avego, users will also have an opportunity to make filtered matches -- e.g., same sex or non-smokers only. Conley said any reported incidents would result in the rapid expulsion of the responsible party.
Learn how to pay 69 cents (or less) a gallon on gas.
Enterprising souls can create their own Avego ride-sharing communities anywhere (and it's not limited to the U.S.). But Avego will launch programs in partnership with local governments in several cities over the next couple of months, Conley said. Avego also works with municipalities on programs offering real-time passenger information for bus transit, and for van-pooling systems, too.
Could chocolate be the future of fuel?
Anything that eases congestion is a good thing. Traffic snarls cost the U.S. $87 billion each year, waste 2.8 billion gallons of gas and cause 3.7 billion hours of traffic delays. General Motors' Project PUMA, which posits tiny self-driving pod cars avoiding congestion using real-time traffic information, is a related approach to the same problem. But that's in the future. Avego says it can start cutting congestion right now.
Buying a new car? Get an electric one.
TELL US: Do you carpool? Would you use this app?
Related Articles
10 Weird Uses for Vodka
The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic
Gorgeous Green Furniture
30+ Surprising Ways to Save Money While Going Green
For More Tips & Tricks You Can Count On: Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter!
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
