Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people (usually strangers) for a ride in their cars.  The problem is that hitchhikers want a free ride.

Now Pay4Rides is attempting to introduce the concept of organized hitchhiking.  Driver and passenger ratings could take out some of the uncertaintity whie payment for rides would make it profitable.

Organization:

• pick-up/drop off stations @ each exit/entrance of major highways
• lanes for each exit so you get picked up by a driver for your destination
• cash initially, EZ Pass in the future?
• credit driver, debit rider

When I think of a hitchhiker, I conjure an image from the classic movie Easy Rider.  Times have changed and cell phones allow us constant communication with freinds and family.  Simple text messages could let anyone know all the details of any trip.

Today, paying passengers could be well worth sharing a ride.

Remember when you made that first eBay purchase?  The uncertainty of the seller and if they would really send the correct product.  Then you make a few more purchases and realized that the sellers are all rated and actually stand behind the products they are offering.  Gradually you grow more comfortable with the individual sellers and learn to trust their online reputations.

There is a very interesting idea attributed to eBay founder Pierre Omidyar in the story of eBay:

He quite simply believes that the human race is basically good. At the beginning, many prophesied that it could not work – complete strangers dealing with complete strangers. But it is now obvious that it does.

I believe the same can be true with Pay4Rides.

photo credit: Ryan Fanshaw Photography