Re: Can Hi-tech Hitchhiking Work? * 4:15PM, Wed April 22, 2009 in Gates B01

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Pauli <rpauli () mail speakeasy net>
Date: April 19, 2009 12:47:45 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Can Hi-tech Hitchhiking Work? * 4:15PM, Wed  
April 22, 2009 in Gates B01
Reply-To: rpauli () speakeasy net

In a perfect tech world one should be able to stand along the road (in  
the rain, at night)  and open a cell phone screen to potential drivers  
going that way.  Drivers and riders would connect, validate and locate  
in a reasonable computation time - minutes at most.

The obstacles are not so much technical - as political - because a  
trusted agent should validate the identity of the users - like a  
drivers license by the state..  There are lots of startups for  
ridesharing and dynamic ridesharing using wireless devices - but they  
require a critical mass to start well, or if small they require a  
trust relationship to validate members. And worse, rideshare services  
are so proprietary that one must join many to get decent coverage....  
they really should be open data exchange of some sort.   You might  
check   http://dynamicridesharing.org   http://ithumb.org/ 
wifitoday.html   http://ithumb.org/derivativ.html

There is a growing need, it is just a matter of putting things  
together smartly.  It will happen, we should not waste too much time  
learning lessons over again.  Govts could give tax incentives to  
drivers who provide rides.  Too many good ideas.

Richard Pauli
ithumb.org



David Farber wrote:
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Steve Crocker <steve () shinkuro com>
> Date: April 18, 2009 7:16:34 PM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: Steve Crocker <steve () shinkuro com>, "ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
> Subject: Re: [IP] Can Hi-tech Hitchhiking Work? * 4:15PM, Wed April  
> 22, 2009 in Gates B01
>
> Here's a peculiar data point.  A few months ago my wife spent a  
> couple of days in the hospital in La Porte, Indiana.  (She received  
> good care, all is well and the people were very nice.)  When she was  
> discharged, she needed a ride to the airport in South Bend, IN.  We  
> learned there are no taxis in La Porte.  Maybe I don't spend enough  
> time in small towns in mid-America, but this struck us as odd.  The  
> city has more than 20,000 people and seemed big enough, and the  
> hospital was certainly comparable to a big city hospital, but  
> somehow the city doesn't support taxi services.
>
> The staff was very friendly, and more than one person offered a  
> ride.  Maybe that's the way they do things in the heartland.
>
> My wife, a big city girl who'd rather pay for a ride than put  
> someone out, called a cab from South Bend.
>
> Steve
>
>
>
>
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