We have all seen the crazy ads for Priceline with William Shatner.  I like the idea of a negotiated price based on many different variables.  On Priceline, you pay more for a 4 star hotel than you do for a 2 star hotel or a luxury car over a compact.  With airfare there are many variables including direct flight or stopover, city of origin, destination, travel dates, time of day and many others.

I would like to apply the same idea to Pay4Rides.  The price you pay for any ride could be based on many factors:

• Arrange the ride in advance or impromptu
• Repeat rider
• Date & Time
• Distance being traveled
• Door to door service or convenient pick-up and drop off locations
• Driver’s rating
• Passenger’s rating
• One or multiple passengers
• Number of miles being traveled
• Quality of the vehicle
• Extras (DVD player, bike rack, etc.)
• Weather conditions
• Tolls
• Parking

If we could schedule rides, then you could make arrangements in advance and agree on a price.  Riders could also post ride requests and open them up to a bidding process like eBay.

Drivers and riders could build up a list of “friends” that could be easily reached with text messaging.  I think with the incredible power of the internet and the wide use of cell phones, we have all the necessary communication tools.  Now we just need to fully utilize our technology to improve daily commutes.

My wife and sister-in-law enjoy the annual tradition of waking up early and hitting the stores on Black Friday.  They like the excitement of the start of the shopping season and the hunt for bargains.  I am glad that they wait until after the morning crush and go out with the right attitude.  They are happy if they find a good deal, but I think they just enjoy a few hours of shopping without the kids.

Of course, this got me thinking of Pay4Rides.  All of these people are willing to get up early and wait on long lines just to save money.  So how do we make paid ride sharing attractive enough that people would be willing to change their current commuting habits?

The accident at a Wal-Mart on Long Island is a terrible tragedy, but I think this behavior is the exception.  At thousands of other stores and malls around the country, people exhibited restraint and respect for the other shoppers.  Unfortunately, everyone focuses on the horrible acts of a few and forgets the kindness of the many others.  So when you think about strangers, try to think about the many and not the few.

photo credit: Tavallai

Determine price based on the quality of the driver and the ride

Pricing for any ride could be based on a sliding scale involving many factors.  The quality of the ride, distance and time of day could all factor into the price.

The quality of the ride would be determined by both the type of car and the drivers’ current rating.  For example, I would pay more per mile to ride in a Lexus with a highly rated driver than I would for an older car with a poorly rated driver.  This would create a free market where someone who can only afford 10 cents a mile would accept a lower quality ride and someone willing to pay more would expect a higher standard.

A shorter ride may also have a built-in fee to cover the drivers’ basic cost while a longer rider could offer a much better price per mile.  I would expect to pay less per mile when accepting a ride from New York to Washington DC then I would pay for a short 10 mile trip.

One other cost not to be overlooked is parking.  By leaving your car home and accepting a ride, you would avoid all parking charges.  Think of the savings the next time you are headed to the city, an airport or sporting event.

photo credit: hans s