A fairly new company is modernizing the technology behind rideshares. They are offering a peer-to-peer smartphone application allowing people to request and share rides on the fly. Avego allows a driver to publish their route. According to an article on TriplePundit it works like this:
A driver specifies the route they’ll be driving, via Avego’s iPhone app. Would be passengers request a ride, specifying their location, and can use either an iPhone or any web enabled phone. Drivers who are going along this route are notified of an interested rider. Avego calculates how much the rider should be charged to compensate the driver. When both agree to the ride, the passenger is directed to a convenient pick up location, and both are given a unique PIN number in order to verify identity of the rider.
So what does this have to do with bicycles? We’ve been looking for a way to create a bike buddy program, whereby someone who wants to try bicycle commuting can meet up with a seasoned bicycle commuter. How cool would it be to do this with the aid of technology. I haven’t had a chance to play with the system yet, in particular determine whether or not it’s possible to charge nothing, but when I will certainly do so when I have a chance.