There is this new thing, I don't think they have it everywhere. Lyft calls them 'lines' and Uber calls them 'pools', but they are the same thing. Basically the way it works is that there are several people who request rides at the same time. When they do so there is the option to get a lower cost if you will go with other people in the car at the same time. What this amounts to is a carpool where you have 1-4 folks who are in the car at the same time and thereby split the total cost of a ride. For my taste as a rider, it is a hokey deal and not worth the savings on a short trip; I don't want to be in the car any longer than I have to. But there are many folks who use this exclusively in SF. I have tried to profile them and basically have come up with two types: people who are cheap and people who kinda get a kick out of it.
This setup takes the ride sharing idea to the ultimate level. What you have are a driver, me, and several complete strangers in 1 car for an unspecified amount of time and no one really knows where we are going next, driver included. The unexpected turns come from the fact that the app is in control and can add new riders at any time and the driver is required by the app to use the internal navigation and not deviate. All these factors together equal a great roulette wheel of opportunity and awkwardness that no one in the car can predict.
Some pools are great, others are some of the most awkward moments one can experience. The shared space of your personal conveyance suddenly inhabited by complete wild cards and potential for the unbelievable multitudes of life to establish themselves at any moment. As a driver I both invite this unknown and am completely weary of it. You just never know what you are going to get.
No comments:
Post a Comment