Alphabet and Uber have been allies.
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The program signals Alphabet is likely to use Waze as a way into the increasingly popular world of ride sharing, pitting it more directly against Uber, the world’s most valuable private venture-capital-backed company, which dominates ride sharing in the U.S.
The process of arranging a ride isn’t easy: it takes two different apps.
“This is kind of an extension of what we do at Waze, to build this trusted community”, said Josh Fried, who is heading up the company’s carpooling program.
Companies located near Google’s officers, including, UCSF, Adobe and Walmart Global eCommerce, will test Waze Rider in its pilot phase.
An Alphabet spokeswoman said the company doesn’t have long-term plans for the app and is simply testing it to gauge users’ interest.
The free app, available to 25,000 employees at certain Bay Area companies, offers carpools. The big difference, however, is that riders and drivers will only exchange enough money to cover gas – Waze drivers won’t be making an income like they could on Uber or Lyft. But if it grows popular, it could put Google in direct competition with ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft.
When Waze piloted a similar program in Israel, it took a 15% cut of the amount riders paid drivers, but it won’t take a cut of California transactions, at least for now.
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Douglas MacMillan contributed to this article.
