Wow, I have seen the future and it is Avego Shared Transport. This company based in Ireland is actually implementing the Pay4Rides concept that I have been researching for the last few years. It is very exciting to see them working on this new way to travel.
Their vision matches exactly what I have been looking for. They are trying to expand the public transit system to run on every road in the country. All of our single occupant vehicles are wasting a tremendous amount of passenger capacity.
So how do they do it? Watch this YouTube video for a short explanation and demonstration:
This is a very intelligent combination of 4 exiting technologies to enable shared transport:
- GPS – satellite tracking easily establishes driver’s daily routes
- GSM – mobile phone networks connect all participants
- GIS – geographic information systems enable automatic decision making
- Web – facilitates communication with all users and ride share web sites
As you watch the demonstration, I think you’ll agree this is a smooth process with enormous potential. They have addressed 2 of the biggest concerns with ride sharing by offering a system to validate participants and ratings for both drivers and riders.
Yes, it will take time to build a community of users for a system like this. However increased participation over time will only enhance the number of available rides and riders. If you take a few minutes to watch the video, let me know if you are half as impressed with Avego as I am.
