Whether you’re trying to get around town and don’t have a public transport option or have a daily commute that’s costing you an arm and a leg in gas, ridesharing can save you stress and money. And if you’re ridesharing on your daily commute, either as driver or passenger, you can also congratulate yourself on being ‘green’. After all, cars are responsible for a lot of greenhouse gas emissions.
Don’t you love it when being a ‘greenie’ actually saves you money? Check out these ride share apps and start carpooling!
Uber
Uber is best known as an alternative to a taxi service, but it also has a carpool service that can hook you up with people who share your route. And if you’re ever in need of a taxi, consider using Uber instead.
You can even say what kind of car you’d like to be chauffeured around in.
Lyft
Need a lift? Lyft works in much the same way as Uber. The app is super-easy to use, and you can find drivers that share your regular routes.
Lyft Line is great as a carpooling option because you can share your ride along with the costs, with others who need to travel the same route as you. Like Uber, it’s also ideal for one-off trips that would normally cost you a hefty taxi fare.
Carma Carpooling
IOS | Android
This app is purely for carpooling. The drivers don’t really make a profit since the ride only costs passengers $0.20 per mile. Carma drivers are working people like you who don’t do any on-call ferrying of passengers.
They drive to work in the morning, and they drive home in the afternoon. The app tracks the drive and automatically pays the driver when you arrive: quick, clean and straightforward.
Sidecar
Update: Sidecar was acquired by General Motors.
Knowing how much your ride is going to cost you before you even set out, mainly helps to compare prices and get the best deals.
Once you start getting to know the drivers in your area, you can tag them as ‘favorites’ making it easy to find your regular drivers whenever they’re online and in your area.
Like Uber, the platform allows for user reviews of drivers, so you can select a driver with a good reputation and take your ride with confidence.
RideScout
IOS | Android
If this app is available in your area, it’s well worth having. Like Red Ride, it doesn’t only offer you options from a single source. It helps you to compare a variety of choices: car shares, bike shares, and even buses.
If it’s transportation and it’s available on your route, you’ll know, and by comparing costs and options, you will stay in the driver’s seat comfortably.
Hitch
IOSNot everyone is comfortable with getting a lift from a stranger, and although unpleasant incidents with ride-sharing apps like Uber are relatively rare, they do happen from time to time.
But what if you could get a ride with a friend, a friend of a friend or a co-worker? Hitch-a-ride looks similar to a social networking site. Connect with your friends, decide whether you’d like to connect with their friends too and start hitching! As an additional bonus, you negotiate directly with the driver and make your payment in person.
Zimride
Would you like to have something in common with your driver? Then Zimride is for you. Choose drivers (or passengers) based on the criteria of your choice.
The only drawback of this app is that you have to book your ride 24 hours ahead of time. No instant gratification here, but if you hated the music your last Uber driver had on his or her car, or ended up with an avid philatelist who wouldn’t stop talking stamps even though you’re not interested in that hobby, Zimride offers you a fun alternative. Payment is automated through PayPal.
Trees for Cars
Android
Trees for Cars is a new kid on the block, and get this, it doesn’t even charge you for connecting you with a shared ride. Its sole mission is to make sure there are less cars on the road by promoting ride-sharing.
We haven’t tried it out yet, but the app already has a five star rating on Google Play and costs next to nothing to download. As inspirational ideas go, this one has to be tops on the ride-sharing scene.
RideOut
IOS
Although you may want to share your car and save costs, you might not wish to be on call as a crowdsourced taxi driver. After all, you have your priorities and schedule, and you’re not going to adapt that.
Whether you want to offer or get a ride, RideOut will put you in touch with others who can fit in with your daily routine.
Car2Go
This service is more than a ridesharing solution, is customized for people who need to move quickly.
All you need to do is check on your map if there are any vehicles parked around your area, climb behind the wheel and drive them as much as you need. After that, just leave the car where is most convenient.
The cars used in the program may be parked in any legal parking places or certain preferential marked Car2Go . For only $.41 per minute, customers can use the vehicle as long as they need. And, on leaving, they are not obliged to return the car to where they got it.
The vehicles use onboard a smart system that can actually verify the car’s status: if it’s clean/dirty if it has an empty tank and other information. Pricing is per hour, and the money is paid directly by card according to the agenda. Car2Go experiment is already a reality in Germany, the United States, and Canada.
With so many ride-sharing opportunities out there, you’ll find something to suit you with ease.
By using taxi alternatives or finding carpooling opportunities to and from work, you can save money and reduce your carbon emissions at one go!
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