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Waze makes it easier for Carpool drivers to invite multiple riders
Waze's Carpool service is all about adding more passengers to save money on your commute, so wouldn't it make sense to invite multiple riders in one go? You can now. Waze has updated its Carpool app with an option to easily add multiple passengers to a carpooling session -- it can take just a couple of taps to fill every spare seat. This might be vital if you were counting on taking the HOV lane to work, or if you just want more than one person to talk to during a long trip.
China’s Didi restricts some rides to same-sex drivers
Last month, a passenger using Didi Chuxing's carpooling service Hitch was allegedly killed by a driver using his father's account. Since then, the company has been rolling out new safety measures for its ridesharing platforms including updates to its emergency help feature and making driver facial recognition verification mandatory for each Hitch trip. Didi also stopped allowing Hitch trips between the hours of 10PM and 6AM as it considered additional measures. Now, Reuters reports, the company is extending its hours but will only allow late-night and early-morning rides between drivers and passengers of the same sex.
Mercedes' ridesharing ViaVan service comes to London
Add another company to the list of transportation services filling Uber's London-sized void. Mercedes-Benz and Via have launched their jointly owned ViaVan service in Zones 1 and 2 of the city, giving Londoners a "ride-pooling" option that bridges the gap between plain ridesharing and mass transit. The allure, as you might guess, stems from the low cost that comes with multi-passenger rides -- for a limited time, rides into and out of Zone 1 will cost a relatively low £3 (about $4). You just have to accept that ViaVan will choose nearby pickup and drop-off points rather than offering a lift at your exact location.
Lyft Line's pre-tax commuter perks are available in 18 cities
Lyft Line was built from the start to make daily ridesharing more affordable, but it really comes into its own if you can use a commuter benefits card. It lets you use pre-tax dollars to pay for a ride, cutting up to 35 percent of the price. It's a good thing, then, that you no longer have to worry about where those cards are available -- Lyft has expanded the use of commuter benefits to all 18 US cities where Line operates. Provided your employer offers the cards in the first place, you now have a low-cost way to commute to work without taking a bus or train.
Waze adds hands-free navigation to keep your eyes on the road
Waze has a number of measures to reduce distractions and keep your eyes on the road ahead, but there has been one inescapable distraction: you usually have to touch the screen to get things done. That's a problem, especially in areas where distracted driving laws make it illegal to poke at your phone while on the move. It shouldn't be a problem for much longer. Waze's latest update includes a hands-free navigation option that lets you handle most tasks using only your voice. Say "OK, Waze" and you can navigate to a destination or report a traffic jam without losing focus.
Uber's drop-off feature saves you time, money when carpooling
Uber has been tweaking its carpooling feature for a while now, with features that improve your experience when riding with strangers. The company will give you $2 off your next uberPOOL ride if you don't make it to your location on time, and added real-time ride notifications to its carpool service this past December. Today, the company has announced it will pilot suggested drop-off points to make sure you get to your destination as soon as possible, even if you have to walk a ways to get there. The new feature will roll out in San Francisco and Los Angeles today.
Google's ride-sharing platform is expanding beyond the Bay Area
After successful tests of its casual carpool service in the Bay Area and Tel Aviv, Alphabet's combination navigation app and ride-sharing platform Waze is ready to expand beyond its first two test markets. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, the Waze Rider companion app will launch new service in "several US cities" as well as Latin America over the next few months.
Lyft's monthly passes lower the cost of your carpooling
Carpooling services such as Lyft Line and UberPool already make ridesharing more affordable, but it's about to get cheaper -- if you're willing to pay in advance. Lyft is testing monthly Line passes that give you a significant discount, and save you from worrying about delays or Prime Time (aka surge pricing). The first pass is for less frequent riders: pay $20 and every Line ride after that costs $2. If you need more, a $29 pass will let you ride as much as you want with no extra costs.
Report: Google is turning Waze into a ride-sharing platform
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is planning to launch a carpool-based ride-sharing service using Waze in the Bay Area. The new feature would connect drivers and potential passengers going along the same route via the navigation app.
Lyft suspends its Bay Area carpooling service
Lyft has learned a valuable lesson from one of its most recent ventures: the carpooling biz is tough to get into. The company is "pausing" the carpooling service it launched for the Bay Area just a few months ago, and according to Forbes, it's all because it wasn't able to entice enough drivers to sign up for it. Lyft presented the program as a way to earn between $4 and $10 per ride just by picking up people going the same way. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, and the company reportedly told the team behind the offering that they'll be transferred to other divisions.
UberPOOL will give you $2 if it makes you late
Uber has an interesting offer for its carpool customers. It has launched a new feature called "Arrive By," which tells you the absolute latest time UberPOOL can take you to your destination. If you get there beyond the time it promised, you'll get $2 off your next UberPOOL trip, assuming you don't arrive so late you decide to swear off the service. You'll have to update your Uber app, select UberPOOL and type in your pick-up and drop-off locations to start seeing the estimates. The feature is only available in LA at the moment, but the company says it could be rolled out in additional markets.
Waze begins testing new carpooling service in the Bay Area
Google-owned navigation app Waze is bringing their carpool pilot program stateside. The company will test the new Waze Rider app with 25,000 employees at select Bay Area companies who will be able to get a ride to work with the over 700,000 local drivers using Waze.
Lyft Line expanding to six more cities
Today, Lyft announced that its Line shared ride feature will launch in six new cities. The service will roll out in Denver, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle and Newark starting April 11.
Lyft has a new carpooling service for the Bay Area
If you're in the Bay Area, you can add Lyft's upcoming carpooling service to the list of ridesharing options you can use to get around. The company has joined forces with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and SF Bay's 511 Rideshare program to launch a new carpooling service separate from its other products. Based on the info available on its website, it'll work just like any other similar offering: simply tell the app your route, and it will match you with people going the same way. You save money, and so will they.
Facebook eyes ride-sharing feature for events pages
Facebook has been ramping up its Events pages as of late, and a recent patent application shows another use for those listings. In the paperwork, the social network explains how Events pages can also serve as a hub for ride sharing. Instead of the usual Going, Not Going, and Interested RSVPs on an event's page, you would have the option to say whether or not you plan to drive. If you do, you can input details as to how many passengers you can take, if you just want to offer a ride to friends and what time you'll be leaving.
Uber carpooling experiment helps you commute between cities
Ridesharing services already have carpooling services that let you share a ride with strangers, but they're designed for typical commuting distances, not the city-to-city jaunts that can define commutes in places like the San Francisco Bay Area. That's where Uber hopes it can make a difference. It just launched a trial run for Pool to SF, an option that gets you from South Bay cities to San Francisco in the morning. You'll usually pay between $20 to $26, but that's potentially much cheaper than the fuel and parking costs you'd face with your own vehicle. If you have a friend tagging along, you can slap on another $10 and divvy up the fare later on.
Lyft's new offering lets you take passengers only during your commute
App-based carpooling options like Lyft Line and UberPool are useful if you'd rather not drive to work yourself... but what if you do drive, and want to make a little money on the side? That's where Lyft's newest offering, Driver Destination, could come into play. The tier lets you only accept Lyft Line requests from people who are headed the same way, with few if any detours; your trip home shouldn't turn into an epic journey just because you picked up someone who lives off the beaten path. If you're willing to make it a staple of your commute, Lyft reckons that you could make as much as $400 more per month. That's not spectacular, but it's enough to pay for large bills or a lavish night out.
Lyft wants you to know it has a carpool service too
Two can play the pooled ridesharing game, it seems -- just a day after the launch of UberPool, Lyft has responded with its own offering, Lyft Line. The basic concept is virtually identical to what we saw hours ago. If you're headed in the same direction as another customer, Line lets you hop in the same car and split your fare. You may have to wait a few minutes longer, but the savings could be as much as 60 percent less than a solo ride; that's cheap enough for daily use, if you believe Lyft. The option will only be available in San Francisco through the iOS app at first, but Android support and more cities are coming.
Uber's latest service has you splitting your ride fare with strangers
Uber likes to undercut conventional taxi pricing, but it can get expensive if you're by your lonesome -- just ask anyone who has had to pay surge pricing to get to the airport. You may not have to cough up the full amount the next time you're going solo, though. The company has just launched the beta for UberPool, a service that has you sharing a car with strangers. If you're a tester, Uber will try to match you up with another person who's taking a similar route; whether or not there's another rider, your fare gets cut in half. The mobile app will also tell you who's being picked up first and the name of your buddy, so you'll have a decent excuse to start a conversation.
California carpool exemptions expire, quashing yellow-sticker envy
It looks like it's time to kiss that sweet HOV goodbye for lone California hybrid drivers. No, there hasn't been a spike in Clean Air Vehicle sticker thievery -- this time it's official. According to the California DMV, those little yellow stickers that once gave hybrid owners the right to ride solo in carpool lanes have expired, leaving some 85,000 drivers to fall in line with the rest of the state's commuters. You'll forgive us if we don't shed a tear over this announcement.
