Google's Waze testing carpooling program in Israel

Google's navigation subsidiary Waze is getting into the carpooling business via a pilot program in Israel, according to Reuters. The application, called RIdeWith, will use the company's traffic reporting system to figure out popular routes and match drivers with users going the same direction. Unlike contentious ridesharing services from Lyft and Uber, however, Waze's program won't allow drivers to earn a salary. Instead, they can only claim two trips a day, and collect just enough from riders to cover gas and vehicle wear-and-tear.

Both Lyft and Uber have also been testing a form of carpooling, but both just allow riders on the same route to split the cost of a regular fare. By contrast, Waze's service sounds more like UK's Carpooling.com, letting fellow drivers share the exact cost of a ride and no more. Waze didn't give any other details like what kind of fee (if any) it's collecting, and just said it's "conducting a small private test in the greater Tel Aviv area." It added that it might be hard to find a ride in Tel Aviv at first, but that the problem should ease as new drivers sign on. Google acquired Waze some two years ago for an estimated $1 billion.

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