Google Pilots Carpooling Program, possible competitor to Uber

Tech giant Google is piloting a carpooling technology that could be a roadblock to Uber in its quest for world domination.

Google-owned social traffic app Waze is rolling out the service which is called RideWith.

It is an Android-only pilot program of the carpooling app and is operating in the heavily trafficked Gush Dan region in Israel.

RideWith’s  target customers are its neighbors who are heading the same direction for work. The app is only available in typical rush hours and carpoolers only pay drivers for gas and wear and tear on the car.

The app makes a suggestion on what the fare should be based on mileage and the driver and rider decide to either accept or reject the estimate.

Waze revealed that they are conducting a small, private beta test in Tel Aviv for a carpool concept.

Waze regularly experiments with new ideas in our backyard, and we have nothing specific to announce at this time,” said Julie Mossler, Head of Global Communications at Waze.

[Via]