In about 10 days, Mapflow will launch a free iPhone app called Avego for car pooling. (The home page says they’re waiting for Apple Push capability).
The nice thing: though the Avego app exploits smartphone capabilities, you don’t have to have an iPhone to hitch a ride.
Here’s how it works, according to the website:
Avego drivers have dashboard-mounted, GPS-enabled iPhones running the Avego app. The driver selects destination from past route history, then empty seats are offered to potential riders. When a potential rider on the route wants a ride at a certain time, the best Avego car is selected and that driver is offered the pickup. If the driver accepts, then voice directions guide the driver to a safe place to pull over and take on riders. When the driver pulls over, a picture of the rider appears on the iPhone, so the driver can authenticate the rider. The driver drives to the destination. On the iPhone, the driver rates the rider experience from 1 to 5. In the cloud, Avego splits the costs of the shared ride in a fair and automated way.
Riders:
Mary, a commuter, gets ready for work. She has a common cell phone. At 7:30AM she texts a coded request for an immediate ride to work. Mary also has an Avego web interface where all her routes are visible, with the associated texting code. The Avego server texts back within a few seconds that a ride is available at 7:35AM at Mary’s closest Avego stop, a two-minute walk away. The text includes vehicle make, model and license plate. Mary walks out the door to the stop. A picture of the driver arrives on Mary’s handset for her to authenticate the driver. The driver pulls up with an Avego decal on the car. Once in the car, Mary texts Avego that the ride has commenced. The driver drives to the destination. Mary and the driver get out. Mary rates the driver experience from 1 to 5 via text message. In the account cloud, Avego splits the costs of the shared ride.
In a perfect world, there would be enough users that a 7:30 AM request gets you to the office in time.
Via Trendhunter
