New Waze To Carpool In California With Popular App

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — With Orange County roadways nearing a standstill at heavy trafficked times, the Waze community announced a carpool feature for Californians seeking drive time relief.

Like many in Orange County who practically live in their cars, resident Janet Kuntz uses Waze to get around.

Waze members can alert their fellow community drivers to cheap gas, traffic stops, traffic jams and now to share the road with a carpool matching program.

"I love Waze, and use it daily," Kuntz said. But the crowd-sourced navigation app is one thing. For many women in southern California, having a random stranger matched to your car, in this impromptu carpool service is just a little too odd.

The Waze corporation is betting that people want to resolve their traffic differences, however. With a pilot carpool program in the Bay area as well as the nation of Israel, their hopes for California are high.

"The Waze community is powerful," a spokesperson for the App said. "We solve local issues and outsmart traffic. Now we are banding together to end traffic."

Pilot programs for the Waze Carpool app in San Francisco Bay and Israel have emboldened the company to open up the option to the state of California as a whole.

"No longer will Californians be held captive by their horrific commute," they said.

However, southern California women drivers are a little leery of the Waze Carpool matching program.

"I would be hesitant to drive strangers or be driven by strangers," Rancho Santa Margarita resident Cura Hume said in an informal Facebook poll on the question. Primarily, potential drivers and passengers are asking the questions:

• Would Waze do background checks like Uber and Lyft do?
• What if the person doesn't have insurance and gets in an accident?

"I just think there's way too many what ifs or things that could go wrong," Hume said.

The GPS based community traffic company's "carpool declaration" that ran in the June 6 Los Angeles Times. Users of the app were encouraged to download the app and join the "revolution" to get unstuck.

"There is definitely a need for carpooling, and reducing traffic would be a valuable thing," Hume said.

According to the Waze Carpool App instructions, the first ride is free, and afterwards "gas money" will be automatically transferred upon drop-off.

Drivers and carpool passengers would be paired together, based upon proximity of where they live and work, according to the app instructions. Drivers would register their cars on the Waze navigation app.

"If, as a woman, I randomly got paired with a mail rider and he was a creep and learned where I lived or worked, that would concern me," Hume said. "I heard that drivers and riders can decline matches, but still, you never know."

When you register as a driver, first potential drivers are asked to verify themselves with a Google account. Next, a quick agreement to terms of service explains that Google may or may not verify driver details.

"It is your responsibility to verify the identity, qualifications and status of a driver," the Terms of Service says.

According to Waze, the information shared in the Waze Carpool service includes:

• The ride you've requested
• Your name and Waze Carpool picture
• Your place of work based upon your email domain, if you've provided it
• How long you've used the Waze application
• The number of rides completed as rider and driver
• The number of times you've been "thanked" in connection with other Waze Carpool users
• Other profile information that you've added

Would you drive or ride with Waze carpool? Let us know!

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