Skip to main content

Waze’s cheaper carpool service soon expanding to more US cities, Latin America

Following succesful tests in Israel and the San Francisco Bay Area last year, Waze is planning an expansion of its carpooling service to several US cities and Latin America. Waze Rider has some notable differences and downsides from Uber and Lyft, but is cheaper as a result.

Rather than being a direct taxi replacement, Waze is more akin to traditional carpooling. There are no full-time employees, with riders restricted to providing two rides a day during the testing phase. Additionally, transport isn’t guaranteed, with rides needing to be requested hours in advance.

The current payment model has users paying $0.54 per mile to reimburse drivers for gas and other costs. At the moment, Waze does not take a cut of earnings. However, if successful, a 15% fee may be charged to riders in the future.

Overall, Rider is more affordable, with the WSJ citing how a ride from downtown Oakland to downtown San Francisco only costs $4.50, compared to $10.57 on Uber’s cheapest option and $12.40 for Lyft’s.

One person interviewed by the WSJ added how they are more likely to give rides compared to Uber or Lyft:

“I wouldn’t drive for Uber or Lyft. I have a regular job. I do this to make the commute easier for myself and the person I pick up.”

São Paulo is cited as one of the cities where Rider could come to in the immediate future, but ultimately Waze hopes to expand globally. In an interview, Waze head Noam Bardin also made a reference to possible synergy in the future with Alphabet’s self-driving company, Waymo.

“And maybe at the end of the day, instead of a neighbor picking you up, a robot picks you up.”

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications