Should Chicago and Chicago area suburbs financially support rideshare on Scoop or Waze Carpool? (Normal: 2013)

[nwman2830]

Scoop is a carpool app that matches drivers and riders with similar schedule and commute routes. Scoop started in the Bay Area and Israel and has expanded to all of California (mainly urban areas) and Seattle. In the Bay Area certain cities and counties provide financial incentive so drivers get reimbursed more and riders pay less. Depending on distance, rides start at $2 and drivers get paid $7-11 per trip. It is a lot cheaper than UberPool but it requires to plan fixed schedule in advance. I have used that app a couple times with mixed results. For me as rider it takes off stress of driving and it guraratees rides home up to $50 a month to reimburse in alternative transport as long as you used it to get to work. My drivers have arrived on time with clean cars. My city subsidies ride. Normally it would cost me $5 to ride or get only $4 to pick someone as driver. In either situations I get extra $3 for my trip.

In Seattle Amazon employees working in downtown get financial incentive from their company to carpool on Scoop so riders pay only $1 to commute from South Lake area.

I could see its use very beneficial in northwest or northern spread out neighborhoods in Chicago or suburbs. It could be used to carpool to Metra train stations with carpool assigned parking spot closer to stations. Let's be honest, in many parts of suburbs public transport is not good with Pace buses on limited routes and schedules.

I have not used Waze Carpool or ZimRide which the latter is used by college students and company employees. So cant really comment on them.

In Texas, Austin is doing trial with Carma rideshare company to offer discounted tolls on expressway for carpoolers.

[chet everett]

Illinois Regional Transportation Authority has supported "car pools" as well as subsidized "van poolsd" for decades through the PACE organization -- https://www.pacerideshare.com/Pages/carpool

The broader issue of how best to find potential users for such things is part of the overall strategy that RTA higher-ups decide; it matters more which people running advertising /PR agencies have lawmakers as relatives than which "app" is easier to use... RTA spending more than $670,000 on spin control

[nwman2830]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Illinois Regional Transportation Authority has supported "car pools" as well as subsidized "van poolsd" for decades through the PACE organization -- https://www.pacerideshare.com/Pages/carpool

The broader issue of how best to find potential users for such things is part of the overall strategy that RTA higher-ups decide; it matters more which people running advertising /PR agencies have lawmakers as relatives than which "app" is easier to use... RTA spending more than $670,000 on spin control

I have seen similar websites sponsored by government agencies in other states. However the mobile app is different game entirely. In the age of mobile smartphone, people should not be expected to just plan fixed schedule week in advance on their computer. Some need more flexibility and being able to use smartphone to indicate your window schedule just few hours before you plan to leave your work or home and then find match is great convenience. Once you get match you can call or message that person to make more specific arranges.

I can indicate my preferred schedule and mode of carpooling (driver or rider) before 9pm for my next day morning schedule and after 9 I get match with exact time and route that shows my driver or pickups. Then I can plan same day afternoon before 3:30 and I know when is my ride and who is my driver/pickup just a few hours in advance.

https://youtu.be/hiRNRm4Ar9A