Dynamic Carpooling

Imagine a device that you carry with you everywhere; a device that allows you to connect to an entire network of people wanting to carpool; a device that knows where you are, and where you are going. What if the device could connect you into a transportation network that will take you to your destination on your schedule? This device exists, and you probably already own one. The device is your GPS and web-enabled cell phone. The concept is dynamic transportation.

This is carpooling 2.0 and it utilizes web based technologies to get you where you need to be. The network of users is managed by an online networking site, similar to Facebook or MySpace. A willing participant signs up on the site, creates a profile with a photograph, enters contact information, and if willing to drive, enters information about their automobile. Other superfluous information can be added as well, including typical destinations, travel times, typical routes taken. Once the information is stored in the database, the user is set to start carpooling. The system defines two groups or carpoolers, drivers and riders.

If you are driving to a destination, and wish to take on a passenger, simply log into the service through your web enabled phone and enter your destination. Because of advances in cell phone technology, the service is able to find your location through GPS. The service will then give you a route to follow to your destination, similar to the GPS you may already have in your car. If there is a passenger along the route, you receive a pick-up request. The passenger’s information is displayed on your phone with a location, a destination, as well as a photograph. If you choose to pick up the passenger, you are routed to the pick-up location. After dropping the passenger off at their destination, you receive payment from the passenger via the service. Payment is determined by adding the total distance of the passenger’s ride to the distance you deviated from your original route to either pick up or drop off. You are also given an opportunity to rate your experience with the passenger.

How does a passenger find a ride? Easy, as a passenger, you log into the service through your phone and enter in your destination. The service uses the GPS to identify your location. Once your ride has been accepted by a driver, you view in real time your pick-up time and arrival time. You are given information about the driver, including a photograph, and car registration. When the driver arrives, you get into the vehicle, and are taken to your destination. When you arrive at your destination, you are charged a fee for the ride, and also given a opportunity to rate the experience. The system will match you with a driver that is travelling the closest to your destination.

This idea may sound farfetched. The service mimics a typical form of transportation utilized in almost every urban environment. Taxis have long been a way to get on-demand point to point transportation without owning a car. However, there is no tracking on a taxi, no way for anyone to know where you got in, and where you got out. The dynamic carpooling service knows your location the entire time you are travelling because it is tracking the driver and passenger during the journey. Also, by having the service as a web based networking site, you can see the reviews other people wrote about their experience before you accept a passenger or driver. Imagine having that at your fingertips when hailing a cab. This service is not currently being used in the United States; however it is in its infancy overseas in Dublin. With today’s ever increasing interconnectedness, and constant expansion of technology, a program like this could definitely help alleviate traffic on our roads and enhance the social experience not typically associated with commuting.