The company warned RideWith’s availability could have a slow start as it gains traction in the area; a certain number of drivers and riders are required for the on-demand model to get off the ground.
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It appears that Google may be looking to avoid, at least for now, the debate over the status of ride sharing drivers by blocking their workers from turning it into a significant personal revenue stream. If Waze’s carpooling experiment expands, Google will become their direct competitor.
Waze was originally invented in 2012 by an Israeli commuter and software designer, Ehud Shabtai, who was sick of navigating the country’s many traffic jams and other road hazards with just traditional Global Positioning System services. If a driver comes across a new highway or a new exit, for example, Waze will record that and check whether other drivers are using it. If they are, the map will be updated.
Waze will send the relevant driver an alert asking whether he is willing to pick up passengers.
Google struck a deal to buy Waze in 2013 in a deal worth over $1 billion.
“Newcomers to Israel are advised by friends – and complete strangers – to immediately download the app”, the Post reported in 2013. Both parties can then text one another to confirm the ride-share.
The service will connect passengers with nearby drivers headed to and from similar locations.
Waze is created to help you out even on familiar routes by warning of traffic problems and suggesting alternative routes.
Drivers will be paid only estimated costs of fuel and wear and tear, and will be limited to two rides a day. Other car-sharing apps are already live, particularly France’s BlaBlaCar-which grew dramatically earlier this year after purchasing German carpool-app rival Carpooling-but none of those enjoy the wealth of driving data that Google and Waze already have. The company is expected to proceed with a regulatory battle so that Uber X can operate legally in Israel.
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Google was careful to say that its carpooling test in Israel is not a competitive play against Uber. RideWith matches up passengers and drivers.
