Is Google planning to take on Uber?

Google to launch its own ridesharing service


News Desk May 18, 2016
PHOTO: REUTERS

A new ride-hailing service to be introduced by Google should have other carpooling services worried. Google-owned Waze unveiled this week a carpooling service for commuters in California's Bay Area.

The pilot programme is limited to about 25,000 employees of companies, including Walmart and Adobe Systems. Waze will match riders with drivers who are already traveling similar routes during the morning and evening rush hours.

It’s official: Uber launches in Pakistan

"For years, Waze has established a trusted community of drivers, with millions of Wazers helping each other beat traffic on the fastest routes,” the company wrote on its website. “Since so many people are already using Waze to get to work, why not help a fellow commuter heading in the same direction?”

Waze Carpool is currently charging riders just $0.54 a mile which companies may even reimburse their employees if it is business-related travel.

“Waze Carpool focuses on covering costs, not generating an income,” the company explains. This marks the important distinction that their service has from other services including those of Uber and Lyft.

UberPool, for example, calculates fares for drivers based on time and distance. Via, a ride app that offers flat-rate trips in New York and Chicago, pays its drivers an hourly wage. The most comparable service Uber offers is UberCommute, which in the US is live in Chicago and reimburses drivers $0.54 a mile.

A spokesperson for Waze said the app is “just a pilot” and “the company has not committed to any future plans.”

Despite it being an initial pilot and the Alphabet’s long-term plans for the service not fully developed, other ride-hailing companies should still be worried.

Pakistani entrepreneurs launch ‘Uber for rickshaws’

Lyft, for example, has discussed bringing about more affordable rides that reduce traffic and congestion. Uber on the other hand has lately embraced a more democratic slogan, "transportation as reliable as running water," from its initial "everyone’s private driver".

Waze Carpool is a clear play for that commuter market, and could easily broaden beyond it. Meanwhile, as all the major ride companies and automakers race to develop self-driving car technologies, Google’s driverless vehicles are already traversing the streets of Mountain View, California.

A platform such as Waze Carpool coupled with the capabilities of Google's self-driving car bring about a scary vision- even for Uber.

This article originally appeared on Quartz.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ