Google has a ride-share service on the market and have now been testing the program on the road. Last week they launched a limited mode of the service for its employees in the San Francisco Bay area, and the test was seen as the second biggest test of the service in the past 12 months.
The recent test of the Waze Carpool ride sharing service was the second in a year after Google had already done one other test last July with an identical service based in Israel which is called RideWith. RideWith is a service which allows passengers to get drivers who are headed in the same direction with them.
The service, which was still in its pilot stage was started in Israeli cities including Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Ra’anana. The test had also been advocated to be included for the students who are at the Tel Aviv University. Reports from Israeli newspapers indicated that the service was created by Waze, a group that was acquired by Google back in 2013. The company was bought for a $1 billion by Google.
The search giant has not announced anything pertaining the service RideWith. The company has also not replied to comment to discuss the issue about the service, and if it has been successful or not over the past few months. The launch of the Waze Carpool service in San Francisco indicates that Google may be looking to spread the service to other cities.
The service seems like it’s a direct competitor to ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, but at the moment it looks like it will be limited in scope. Google’s plan is to make the service in such a way that employees can hitch rides to the same destination from their fellow employees. In return, they can share the cost of travel such as gas.
Google believes they can avoid problems such as traffic congestion with the service because it reduces the number of cars on the road, and has also indicated that it could be a way for commuters to save on gas and other travel related costs as they get to share the fare with their colleagues.
The Waze Carpool ride sharing service is only available as an invitation only option at the moment to some of the employees and employers located in San Francisco.
To participate in the service individuals have to download a free Waze Rider and application which is available on both the iOS and Android platform. The app will coordinate travel details and automatically work out the payment according to Google. The app will match riders and drivers who have an identical route all on its own. Waze is well known for its mapping capabilities and the app makes use of them to match carpool partners.
However the service only limits drivers and riders use of the service to only twice a day, once for going to work and the return journey. The service also only matches one driver and rider together, to and from work. Google claims the service is meant to cover costs rather than an income gaining venture.
