Casual Ride

Interested in…
• Stopping global warming
• Reducing traffic congestion
• Improving public health (by reducing auto crashes and air pollution)

The quickest, cheapest and most effective way to achieve these goals is to maximize the efficiency of existing transportation systems. The Casual Ride Project will overcome many limitations of traditional pre-arranged carpooling by providing a reliable, instant, on-demand ride-matching service, utilizing existing technology, including web-based servers and SMS telecommunications. Drivers and riders would find each other by texting (sending an SMS/Text message by cell phone) desired trip details into a simple ride-match server hosted by a public institution or private company.

To reach the critical mass of driver and passenger ride requests necessary to achieve growth and sustainability, the service will be marketed initially to users of the existing ‘casual carpool’ network in the Bay Area. This unique informal carpooling phenomenon allows drivers bound for Downtown San Francisco to stop by informal collection points throughout the East Bay to pick up enough passengers to use carpool lanes and avoid bridge tolls. The Casual Ride Demonstration Project will offer these carpool savvy commuters the option to make similarly informal, on-demand ride arrangements for trips to other Bay Area destinations at all times of day. Once critical mass is achieved, these first-adapters are well positioned in Bay Area culture and society to propagate this form of social networking to other travel markets in the Bay Area and beyond.

Project mission:

The Casual Ride Project aims to fill thousands of empty seats in the cars and trucks that ply our roads each day, by providing instant matching of willing drivers with willing passengers. With current average occupancy of only 1.1 people per vehicle, most cars have capacity to accommodate additional travel demand to destinations throughout the Bay Area.

Potential impact:

Interested in…
• Stopping global warming
• Reducing traffic congestion
• Improving public health (by reducing auto crashes and air pollution)
• Expanding transportation choices
• Reducing transportation costs (gas, auto maintenance, etc.)

Required resources:

1. Total project needs: $50,000
2. In-kind contribution needs: (1) Legal expertise: Assistance to analyze security, liability and insurance requirements for project startup, (2) Web server capacity, (3) Web and mobile (SMS) software development expertise: Assistance with development of the internet and mobile platforms, (4) Business and marketing expertise: Consultation regarding development of business and marketing plan for demonstration project
3. Other:

   Note: $50,000 needed for (1) market analysis, (2) web and server development and (3) Initial marketing of the Casual Ride Demonstration Project