Cool idea. What does this have to do with Public Transit though? It seems to me that a better description would be "Uber meets /Private/ Transit"
Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
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Re: Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
#12More like "dollar vans with an app". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_van
Sure, in some sense :) This model exists under a number of names: Pesero, Jittney, Monit Sherut (to name a few).
That said, it's not just an app that we've built. It's a system that can make dynamic decisions about which routes merit being paired together, and communicates with our drivers about any changes that need to be made to the current route. Of course, we take on-road safety into account, and so changes are only made while the vehicle is stationary.
Re: Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
#13[deleted]
Re: Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
#14Love this idea, been waiting for something like this.
Seems like Hitch is to Uber/Lyft as Casual Carpool is to taxis. Is that accurate?
Re: Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
#15Somewhat related solution in Finland, bus-on-demand: http://www.goodnewsfinland.com/archive/news/call-a-bus-to-yo...
Also reminds me of Halting State by Charlie Stross. The buses in that book have an auction system where people bid against each other for it to go to their stop next.
Re: Show HN: Hitch – Uber meets Public Transit
#16It's crazy nobody did this before. Using passenger location data to create the most effective transportation routes is something that should've caught on by now.