SMS
MEET
RIDE
ShareMyTaxi
Description
ShareMyTaxi uses SMS to coordinate real-time cab sharing. It is a simple, practical solution to the cost of taxi transportation in urban areas. A next step will be to simultaneously communicate the need for a ride share to the cab company.
Personal Statement
My favorite part of living in NYC is that I do not need a car. I love public transportation. Occasionally I will need to expedite my transportation and take a taxi, which is energy inefficient and expensive. I wanted to develop a simple method for people to coordinate real-time cab sharing and cut the cost.
User Scenario
Its 8:15am and I'm running late for work. I'm at 14th/1st on a February morning that is too cold to wait for the bus anyway - I need to catch a cab. I take out my phone, SMS ShareMyTaxi with my current cross-street and where I need to go and I immediately get an SMS back with a phone number of another person nearby that needs to make a similar trip. I call the number. It was a woman standing on the North corner who just hailed a cab. I dash across the street and end up sharing the cab with two people who work in my building and it only cost me $4! Today is a beautiful day.
Audience
People who want to have the convenience of a catching a cab without the high cost.
Precedents:
Here are a few mobile precedents using SMS: dodgeball, socialite, yellowarrow, placestodo, smart sneaker, Google SMS, HopStop
A few other mobile, locative apps: loopt, mologogo, GPShopper
Ride-sharing precedents: hitchsters.com, rideamigos.com, rightrides, pooln sms or email a start address and end address separated by a fwd slash "/" to sharemytaxi@gmail.com, ie. 375 e 10th st nyc ny 10003/721 broadway nyc ny 10003, then check here to see your locations mapped and searched.
Code
geocode.phplogic.php
popper.pl
related blog entry
Contact
Kristin O'Friel | kristin.ofriel@gmail.com
Taxi Fares
While cabs are relatively expensive for a single person, they can actually be a bargain with 3 or more riders. The rates for taxicabs are as follows (last updated 2007-07):Initial fare.............$2.50
Each 1/5 mile (4 blocks).$0.40
Each 1 minute idle.......$0.40
Peak surcharge...........$1.00
Night surcharge..........$0.50
Tolls....................$extra
Additional riders........FREE