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Introducing Driver Destination

blog.lyft.com

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Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#91

Post by cowsandmilk »

cwilson wrote: post #11
eli wrote: post #7

Shared carpooling (called "slugging" here) has a been a viable commuting option for people in the DC area for decades. No money changes hands; the point is that a car with 3+ people can use the much faster HOV lanes. http://www.slug-lines.com/Slugging/About_slugging.asp

The thing is, I've never heard that term until now. I lived in the DC area for two years and worked with quite a few commuters. It's cool that it's a concept but there hasn't been mainstream adoption to the point where it's as easy as an app in your pocket until now. If a tree falls in the woods...

You clearly have not lived in Woodbridge. There are literally thousands of commuter parking spaces just for people slugging into the city.

For instance, 2,425 parking spaces just for people slugging into the city[1].

[1] http://www.slug-lines.com/AM_Lines/Horner_rd.asp

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#92

Post by kalvin »

I'm happy Lyft is demonstrating that it actually cares about its core/founding values of decreasing car usage.

They could have viewed this as a distraction to expanding its existing dedicated-driver model, in order to better compete against Uber. (Lyft Line is just multiple passengers; Sidecar already does "driver destination" aka real carpooling, but they're also playing a different game focusing on drivers in general, and don't have the scale Lyft does)

If they can get traction, they'll have cracked a problem that many people have tried to solve and failed at: how do you get Americans to carpool?

Context: Lyft's founders pivoted into Lyft from Zimride after five years of building white-labeled carpool sites for colleges/companies + a public long-distance carpool/rideshare board, and discovering that a) that's not a VC-scale business, and b) 90% of Americans don't "do" traditional carpooling and they're not about to start

Anyway, I use Lyft over Uber when possible for many reasons, but this is one-- they started out trying to improve society in a particular way, and still are, even as they've changed their approach. And I think they should be commended for setting an example for how to achieve an activist-y goal through a startup/company. Or since it's not achieved yet, at least trying.

(I have no affiliation with Lyft, see my profile.)

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#93

Post by greenpizza13 »

awwstn wrote: post #16

This is really great – though I wonder if Lyft runs the risk of people making the connection once (i.e. finding a person with similar commute times/locations who is willing to pay for rides) and deciding to arrange a paid carpool that doesn't go through Lyft.

I think when you read the safety guidelines this idea is a non-starter. Using Lyft you get guaranteed payment, 1M of insurance while driving someone else, and the app tracking your location and keeping you safe. When you circumvent the system you take on a lot of risk, especially if the person you are driving gets injured.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#94

Post by oldspiceman »

fraserharris wrote: post #54

The messaging here is off. "Driver Destination" implies it has generalized applications -> be a Lyft driver where ever you are going. In practice, they need to get traction in the one big market for this: commuters. Better marketing will call it what it is: Lyft Commute - share a ride from home to work (claiming the product name 'Commute' also stops Uber from using it)

Agreed. 'Driver Destination' sounds whack.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#95

Post by mmanfrin »

Man, I was thinking about this last night, how I could use my morning and evening commutes to take people home on my way home -- since I'd either stay in the city (killing time for traffic to die down), or be paid to sit in my normal evening traffic home across the bay. Only hiccup would be if I had a fare taking me to the south bay, but that seems a reasonable gamble.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#96

Post by whoopdedo »

snowwrestler wrote: post #72
legohead wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are HOV lanes in DC? In SoCal my experience has been that if the traffic is bad, the car pool lanes are just as backed up.

There aren't any HOV lanes actually in DC that I know of. 395 and 66 are two interstates that connect DC to the Virginia suburbs. The HOV lanes on 395 are usually more open and faster than the main highway. 66 is entirely HOV inside the Beltway during rush hour, so if you want to go that way at all, you need passengers. Virginia just added HOT (passengers or pay) lanes on the Beltway itself; these are usually very cl…

There isn't enough highway in DC to make express lanes worthwhile.

The benefit of HOV on 395 & 66 comes from having limited access. The lanes get crowded during rush hour, but they still move faster because of less merging & exiting. When traffic is all moving in the same direction at the same speed it flows smoother.

The changes to the Springfield interchange did a lot to prevent backups by reducing the amount of lane changing necessary to get on and off the Beltway.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#97

Post by allendoerfer »

Flinc [0], a start-up from Germany, does exactly this but in real time, too. It can hook up with the drivers navigation software so they are only asked to pick someone up, when it does not change their own route.

I highly prefer this model over the classic Uber/Lyft service, because it actually delivers on the promises of the sharing economy. Resources are shared, from which both parties and the general public benefit. Its not just taxis with lower wages.

Of course, critical mass is a bigger problem with this model, but there is the obvious entry point of white-label ride sharing platforms for companies, which flinc does, too.

I think, it is about as cool as it gets, until I get my self-driving car, which transports passengers on-demand the whole day after it drove me to work, from time to time being recharged on inductive parking spots, powered by green energy.

[0]: https://flinc.org/

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#98

Post by tcdent »

Having grown up with California's carpool lanes (a lane reserved for vehicles with two or more riders) I've always expected the number of commuters that are able to take advantage of it has to be minimal. In my experience, having that additional passenger only happens on special occasions; it never happens on the morning commute. This is what the carpool lane has always needed to be successful; networking.

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#99

Post by bluthru »

calbear81 wrote: post #39
joezydeco wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No money changes hands This might be a small detail that matters big if you start driving for Lyft. What does your personal auto insurance policy cover if a paying passenger gets hurt in an accident in your car?

Lyft has a $1M insurance policy to cover their drivers. Here's an incident: http://www.cnet.com/news/after-fatal-lyft-crash-insurance-qu...

So about 3 days in an American hospital?

Re: Introducing Driver Destination

#100

Post by oostevo »

bennylope wrote: post #78
cwilson wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's crazy that I never heard about it. Is it a recent thing? Very cool that it has taken off regardless, and I suppose serves as a proof of concept for Lyft/Uber.

It's more popular in certain geographic and industry pockets. I used to see long lines at the Pentagon and Crystal City for slug riders every afternoon/evening.

Yeah, it's definitely confined to certain demographics. It's especially popular among government/defense types in Virginia. There are a couple of benefits that make it popular with them -- namely that it's free and the system is primarily designed to take you to the far-flung suburbs (where the cheap housing and good schools are).

Given that, I doubt Lyft (marketed towards urban millennials who have smartphones and are cool with riding around in cars with mustaches) and Slugging (mostly used by staid, middle-aged, middle-income workers) are going to compete with each other.

(Still kicking myself for not finishing that app for Slugline-like ridesharing 6 or so years ago :) )

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