carpooling
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Toyota Kinto combines leasing, car sharing and other services in Europe
Toyota wants to evolve from a car-maker to a mobility company. To do that, it's launching Kinto, a new brand that will provide full-service leasing, car sharing, carpooling and subscription-based leases. Unfortunately, those offerings will only be available in Europe.
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.
Waze's carpooling service is now available all over the US
Waze has gradually been expanding its Carpool app to states around the US, and now it's rolling out everywhere. From today, drivers and ride-seekers in all 50 states can use the app to save time and money getting around, while helping reduce congestion on the roads.
Didi halts carpooling across China after passenger's murder
Didi Chuxing has suspended its Hitch carpooling service across all of China in the wake of a driver raping and killing a passenger on August 24th. The ridesharing company wanted time to address the "many deficiencies" with its customer service approach that appear to have cost the victim her life, including the "cumbersome and rigid" process of sharing information with police. A customer had complained to Didi about the the driver's sexually threatening behavior a day before, but the company didn't follow through with an investigation that might have banned the driver in time to prevent the tragedy.
Uber and Lyft hoped 'rainy day' fund would relax NYC regulations
Ridesharing companies really, really don't like the thought of New York City capping their services and otherwise instituting new regulations. To that end, they recently tried a drastic measure: making a charity offer in return for concessions. Lyft's Joe Okpaku informed The Verge that his company, Uber and carpooling service Via unsuccessfully proposed a $100 million "hardship fund" that would have compensated individual taxi medallion owners to the tune of "tens of thousands of dollars." Some would get payments immediately, while further payments would take place over the course of five years. In exchange, however, NYC's City Council would have needed to drop its proposed cap and minimum wage requirements -- not surprisingly, the city turned it down as a result.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Going to PAX? Try carpooling with strangers
Alright, two groups are organizing carpooling convoys to transport PAX attendees from their places of origin to Seattle, WA. Let's put our math caps on. I'll use myself as a test case:From Philadelphia to Seattle is about 2,848 miles. Averaging 25 mpg highway, I'd use approximately 114 gallons of gas o' line. With the national average for gasoline at $2.87 right now, gas for the trip would hit $327 ... one way! Split between, let's say, 3 other people, we're talking $163 per person for gas round trip. If you're super cheap and eat horribly, throw another $50 on for edibles for the two day trip.*Sure, the math doesn't work out great, but it's not about the money, it's about the experience. Imagine it: 48 hours of non-stop portable gaming with fellow nerds on a pilgrimage to nerd mecca. That's what it's all about ... that said, we're not sure we'll be going by automobile, but Joystiq will be on hand to congratulate any SuperTrippers upon their arrival.*Same thing applies for the west coast SuperTrip, except they're not nearly as hardcore and all relevant figures should be adjusted to reflect that.Read - Cross-Country Super TripRead - West Coast Super Trip(Update: stupid spelling error corrected; punishment administered.)
