CARS.COM — Motorists already use Google's Waze app to get crowd-sourced traffic info for the smoothest driving route available. But now Google parent Alphabet is testing Waze as a means of commuting to work in a convenient carpool of two. Waze Carpool is a new pilot program now underway at companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Related: GM, Lyft to Test Self-Driving Ride-Sharing Service with Chevrolet Bolt EVs
Both volunteer drivers and interested riders can register via the Waze app, available for both Android and iPhone. The app pairs riders and drivers taking the same route to and from work at the same time of day. The two-occupant-only system ensures minimal detours for the driver, eliminating the inefficiency of multiple stops and enabling the car to use dedicated carpool lanes — all while splitting the cost and fuel consumption of a commute both people would be making anyway.
Waze seeks to maximize affordability and avoid insurance complications associated with the livery industry by charging riders only the current 54-cents-a-mile amount the IRS recommends employers reimburse their workers. The rider's payment method is set in advance and funds are transferred to the driver automatically, so no money exchanges hands.
"Auto insurance policies in many states including California typically allow not-for-profit, share-the-expense carpooling," Waze states on its website. "Waze Carpool is designed to help riders and drivers share the cost of carpooling on a given ride. It is not designed to allow a driver to make a profit or to earn a salary."
The carpooling service is only available two times a day on the drives to and from work, with a stated goal of reducing rush-hour congestion. For companies, Waze says, benefits include reliable transportation for workers, less-congested corporate facilities and parking lots, and networking opportunities for riders.
While this new app could prove beneficial for daily commuters, the ones who could get left behind are the current reigning champs of ride-sharing, Uber and Lyft. If Waze Carpool were to expand nationally, it could take a significant piece of the ride-sharing pie. Moreover, if a giant like Google were then to expand the service beyond its commuting focus, it could be a detriment to competitors. Relations between Uber and Google reportedly have been strained since the tech giant began developing its own ride-sharing app — ironic considering Google in 2013 invested a quarter of a billion dollars in Uber.
Uber and Lyft have been steeling for the future, launching partnerships with major automakers. GM previously invested $500 million in Lyft, and the two have joined in an effort to test self-driving cars in the ride-sharing market, as well as to offer would-be Lyft drivers short-term rentals of its fleet in order to do so without the burden of car ownership. Meanwhile, Google, Uber and Lyft have all joined forces along with Volvo and Ford to form the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, which aims to work with policymakers to facilitate the widespread deployment of self-driving cars on public roadways.
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