Looking at transit in NYC, you have pollution and traffic congestion, you have MTA’s plans to reduce services and increase fares, you have roughly 50,000 yellow cabs, black cars, and limousines that carry over 250 million passengers a year and then you have cab sharing or what CabCorner LLC likes to call “unused backseat real estate.” Cab sharing cost effectively “greens up” the present transit infrastructure as it caters to four times as many cab commuters. This means using transit that is more comfortable than mass transit and cheaper than a solitary taxi ride since its half the price.
CabCorner.com is a web based, mobile-accessible cab sharing platform which was founded in NYC by Wesleyan University alumni, Jonathan McKinney and Jesse Sommer in 2008. CabCorner is now accessible worldwide and has acquired competitors CabEasy.com and Hitchsters.com. The website and iPhone app allows commuters located in the same general area who are headed the same direction around the same time, to connect. A ride calculator divvies up the share of the ride for each passenger.
While CabCorner does not call any transportation outlet on behalf of its users, it does have some enticing offers. You can redeem coupons, deals, and discounts at easily identifiable retail establishments (like Starbucks) or “Hot Spots” all around the city. Get best corner rankings (rated on a 4 star scale) for catching a yellow cab in NYC at any given time of the day or night. If it’s a livery car you want, they present you with the five closest livery cab companies in your area. The iPhone app also connects to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, so you can reach out to friends when posting or joining a ride. The website also offers tutorial videos on how to use the system, safety tips for every step of the process and if you’re wondering how to spot your ride companion or what to do if your ride companion does not show up.
CabCorner’s future plans include servicing the commuting needs of large businesses, establishing an exclusive car service for those who don’t intend catching a yellow cab and tapping into social networks to provide their users with information that goes beyond just cab sharing.
Cab sharing – Not a bad green idea to save you some money, wouldn’t you say?
