Side Car

= a peer-to-peer taxi service (which can also be explained as a community rideshare) comprised of drivers who volunteer to give people rides and work for donations

URL = http://www.side.cr/drive

Description

1. Chelsea:

"I recently discovered a new service, which a friend who works at airbnb adoringly called "Uber for common folk." While I don't like that delineation, he's right. Most people will not use Uber, which is a private car service that costs nearly two times what a taxi would.

Sidecar is a peer-to-peer taxi service (which can also be explained as a community rideshare) comprised of drivers who volunteer to give people rides and work for donations. The donation is pretty clear and most people pay the suggested donation or beyond to keep the service running.

The amazing thing is that Sidecar is 20-30% cheaper than a taxi and is just as personal and efficient, if not more than uber. When I need to take short trips across town, I'll be using Sidecar and suggest you do too. Please note: The availability of daytime trips are currently spotty as Sidecar is building up driver base in San Francisco. Although, weekends and evenings... you should be good to go. Sidecar provides the flexibility and personalization of Uber and gets you where you need to go with door-to-door service and a smile. Plus, I can rest easy knowing that the drivers are earning some extra cash as many of them are in between jobs, retirees, students, etc. driving as a volunteer and community member." (http://www.shareandsave.net/index.php/blogs/how-to-ditch-your-car)

2. Kelly McCartney:

"Using the free SideCar mobile app, drivers and passengers can find each other instantaneously and share on-demand rides. Rather than call a cab, riders can use their smartphones to find a SideCar ride. Passengers use the app to set their pick-up and drop-off locations, then track their SideCar driver in real-time to get an estimated pick up time.

The app also tracks progress to destination in real-time, offers a constantly adjusted ETA, and lets riders easily message arrival information to those at the destination. I especially like the progress tracker that uses mapping software. It offers added assurance that you're actually headed in the right direction.

The mobile app includes sharing and rating features (for both riders and drivers), as well as an electronic tip jar so the rider can help cover the driver's expenses. SideCar is finding that the contributions often cover drivers' vehicle maintenance and operation costs. And voluntary online donations keep the service within the definition of ride sharing instead of a taxi service, though the latter is exactly what Sidecar aims to disrupt." (http://www.shareable.net/blog/sidecar-disrupts-cabs-with-real-time--p2p-ridesharing-app)

Features

Kelly McCartney:

"SideCar offers a number of impressive features. They seem to have taken this aspect of the service quite seriously, and for good reason as given high profile incidents at sharing economy leaders Airbnb and RelayRides. For passengers safety, SideCar offers:

   Criminal background checks for all drivers
   Confirmed drivers license and screening of DMV records
   Interviews with all drivers before allowing them onto the system.
   The location of the vehicle is tracked by GPS.  This location is recorded by SideCar and the passenger can also share this
   Tracking with friends during your ride.
   Passengers rate drivers and SideCar investigates any low ratings and removes members who get consistently bad feedback 
   Photos of the driver and the car are provided through the app

For drivers, SideCar encourages civility by passengers in a few ways:

   No anonymity: a valid credit card and smartphone are required to be a part of the community.
   Drivers rate passengers and repeat offenders are removed from the community.
   No cash changes hands"

(http://www.shareable.net/blog/sidecar-disrupts-cabs-with-real-time--p2p-ridesharing-app)

How it Works

"Riders place a request to rideshare by setting a pick-up and drop off location via the app. Once the request is confirmed, riders can view the driver approaching in real-time and see the driver’s estimated time of arrival. If they choose, riders have the option to share their ETA with family and friends and rate their experience following the rideshare. Riders may also use app to make a monetary contribution to the driver. The application aggregates the current community average donations to offer passengers an easy way to decide how much to donate for their ride. No cash or other form of payment outside of the app is accepted and it is up to riders’ discretion whether they make a contribution to their driver for the ride.

Drivers login to the app when they are available to offer a ride and then receive an alert when a rider submits a rideshare request. Drivers can accept the rider’s request via the app and call them to let them know they are on their way. Drivers also have opportunity to rate their experience with the rider at the conclusion of the ride. Drivers are frequently able to cover the cost of the maintenance and operation of their vehicle as a result of their participation in the SideCar community.

To enhance safety for drivers and passengers and foster trust within the community, SideCar screens all community members who are interested in driving. Screening includes a background check, driver’s license verification, proof of insurance and an interview. Additionally, the opportunity for both drivers and riders to rate their experiences helps to establish community safety and trust. Drivers or riders who receive negative ratings are flagged to SideCar and an investigation is conducted to ensure that any potential issue is addressed with minimal impact to the community." (http://www.hybridcars.com/news/peer-peer-car-sharing-community-launched-sf-47592.html)