ZIZZY’s blog

It seems like every day there is a new website for getting stuff done over the internet. From buying someone a drink to having pretty much any task performed, you no longer need to interact with a person beyond a virtual acquaintance over the internet. However, the newest addition, while based on the same principle of connecting over the internet for non-internet purposes, actually involves meeting and interacting with a person.

Called GoLoco, it’s a recently launched company which aims to make car pooling much easier and more efficient. On their website, you post where and when you will be driving. Others who are going the same place as you and need a ride can find your listing by searching, and if you agree they will travel along with you. This isn’t just for simplifying rides though. It could also be great for the environment, since the more people sharing rides the less overall cars getting driven around.

So far though, there’s probably nothing that gives you much real motivation to either pick up a complete stranger or get in someone else’s car that you know nothing about. However, this is where it gets interesting. While you can pick people up just for the sake of it, the website is also set up with money in mind. If you choose not to do it for free, the passenger pays a share of the total cost - and it will be deposited in the driver’s account (with the exception of 10%, which goes to the website) before you even meet each other. Assuming the driver doesn’t just ditch and keep the money, one person has gotten the ride they needed and the other now has more cash.

Even if the idea of helping to save the environment while at the same time making a quick buck sounds intriguing to you, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth trusting some random guy named “Carp00ler8796″ who, for all you know, could be a serial killer looking for his next victim. Well, it wouldn’t be, unless you knew a bit more about the person you would be riding with. Luckily, GoLoco thought of that - and so each profile contains plenty of information like what they look like, if you share any of the same friends, who else trusts them, their description of themselves, and feedback from those who have previously traveled with them. Details of every trip are e-mailed to your “security buddy” too, so if anything went wrong it wouldn’t be long before someone got help.

The only way this will work is if a lot of people start using it though. Then, people will get plenty of feedback on their profiles and you can tell who to trust, and you will be able to find (and provide) rides to people in your area whenever it’s needed. It’s definitely an interesting and useful idea, and we’ll see whether it takes off or is forgotten like so many others.