The Problem: While BART was on strike, it was a pain in the butt to get around the Bay Area. While there are plenty of paid car services like Uber, Lyft, SideCar, etc., why has no one built a free alternative to encourage true peer-to-peer transportation?
The Solution: Well, one sort of exists in San Francisco. It’s known as Casual Car Share, and it helps people get over the Bay Bridge via the carpool lane. There are designated areas to pickup and drop off strangers on either side of the bay. However, there is still no app to facilitate this process and riders and drivers are entirely anonymous.
During the strike, SFMTA did increase Casual Car Pool pickup and drop off locations around the city. But that didn’t serve everyone who needed a lift. Desperate times called for desperate measures - meaning true tech-enabled hitchhiking. If there were a car pool app, it would be to Uber what CouchSurfing is to AirBnB… a free option with social networking integration as a buffer against abuse.
A casual car pool app would allow riders and drivers to see each other’s Facebook profiles to support safety and security. Ratings would also help people see who the best passengers and drivers were. Of course this app would be bad for people in a rush, but it would be great for those looking for a ride when and where it’s convenient for a driver going their way.