Waze to be relaunched as ride-share platform

Waze is currently testing a new feature where drivers can give rides to strangers via the app at minimal cost to the passengers. Image INQUIRER.net

As carpooling becomes even more commonplace as an alternative to regular commuting, Google plans to enhance Waze with a new feature that will connect drivers and potential passengers who are going along the same route via the navigation app.

The app will be renamed Waze Commute and will be launched in fall, reports Engadget. Unlike Uber and Lyft, it will not be an on-demand hailing platform. Instead, it will be more like an adhoc casual carpool system that allows people to hitch a ride with drivers who happen to be going the same way. This service is apparently already running in Israel.

A Bay Area pilot is currently underway and is limited to select employers that signed up for the upcoming service. Drivers will continue to use the Waze app that helps them navigate while passengers will need to download the Waze Rider app to get a ride.

Uber offers a similar service called UberPOOL where commuters can share the hailed Uber car and split the fare if they are going in the same direction.

The going rate for drivers won’t be much at just 54 cents a mile, but Google hopes this arrangement will make giving strangers a ride a little bit more formal.  Alfred Bayle