NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
Google dips its toes into the ridesharing space with test of new service in Israel
Google has decided it wants a piece of the ridesharing app pie by adding the feature via its Waze app, and a new app called “RideWith” in Israel for the first time.
If you’ve never used Waze before, it was acquired by Google in 2013 for $1 billion, and is similar to Google Maps except that it allows users to input details on road hazards, including the much hated by law enforcement feature of speed traps and fixed speed camera locations.
According to reports, the new service pairs commuters looking for a ride to work or back home from work on RideWith with drivers using Waze going in the same direction.
The service is said to limit a drivers’ ability to generate income by only connecting them with passengers who wish to join the same route each drive uses to go to and return in, and there’s a cap of two rides a day.
RideWith does involve payment for service with passengers paying drivers for the ride through the app using a credit card, but payments are restricted to be only for fuel, and vehicular wear and tear. The app prices how much that is based on indices for the cost of fuel per kilometer and indices for wear and tear.
Google is said to take a cut of each payment, however, how much that cut is has not yet been disclosed.
Uber competitor?
The natural comparison to the service is Uber Inc., which while might be more known for its UberX service, also offers a similar “car-pooling” service is many locations as well; Google though has been quick to rule that out, stating that “RideWith is an experiment in the Tel Aviv area that doesn’t compete with Uber: it’s a platform built to enable local drivers to help each other during busy commute hours.”
Still, Google isn’t exactly known for not wanting to dominate spaces, and although it could be said that it’s proverbially testing the waters with the service, there’s zero question that if it’s successful it will roll out in other locations, and potentially take business away from Uber.
The trial started Monday and is limited to Android users who commute in the Gush Dan region of Israel, and can only be used during standard rush hour times.
Image credit: david55king/Flickr/CC by 2.0
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