Published June 28, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
A new type of car sharing experience, named SideCar, launched today after successful beta testing in San Francisco.
SideCar has been operating in beta since mid-February, and has already facilitated 10,000 rides across the city of San Francisco. The company considers itself the first on-demand rideshare community.
SideCar is a new peer-to-peer transportation community that provides members a new option for personal transportation. The SideCar app connects everyday drivers who have a car with others in the community looking for transportation options beyond hired cars, taxis or mass transit.
The mobile application is available free for download for passengers via the App Store for iPhone and GooglePlay for Android users.
Drivers can apply to be part of the community at www.side.cr/drive.
The community is growing quickly and SideCar is on the lookout for more drivers to share rides with people in the city. Drivers can cover the cost of vehicle ownership, maintenance and gas, all while meeting new people in their local area.
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 log in 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 the 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.
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