Scoop, the Automated Carpooling App for Commuters, Launches in Pleasanton and San Jose, California

SAN JOSE, Calif. (October 19, 2015) – Brothers and tech entrepreneurs Rob and Jon Sadow today announced the launch of Scoop, a groundbreaking mobile carpooling application for Bay Area commuters. Scoop’s mission is to end traffic and congestion nationwide by turning single-occupant vehicles into efficient carpools. Scoop’s automated carpool solution enables commuters to efficiently schedule and share their commute, saving time, money, and the environment. The app lets commuters enjoy all the benefits of carpooling without sacrificing control over their individual schedules. The more people that use Scoop, the smarter and more effective it becomes, creating a viable, easy-to-use solution for people to share their commutes.

Unlike other carpooling and ridesharing offerings, Scoop, headquartered in San Francisco, focuses on developing partnerships with Bay Area employers to offer Scoop to their employees as an affordable and effective transportation solution. Scoop began active trips in August, 2015 along pilot routes to Pleasanton in partnership with local employers including Workday, Kaiser Permanente, Clorox and Gap. Scoop now expands its service to North San Jose commuters by partnering with area employers including Cisco, Samsung, Brocade, BD Technologies and more. In total, employers comprising more than 30,000 employees across Pleasanton and San Jose, as well as other area commuters, will now have access to Scoop as a transportation alternative. Other Bay Area destinations will open later this year. Thousands of Bay Area commuters have registered early for Scoop in anticipation of wider availability.

The Scoop iOS and Android apps enable commuters to request a carpool for each commute trip one way at a time, without any long-term commitment. Scoop’s matching algorithm places commuters into a carpool with neighbors and co-workers utilizing a wide variety of attributes, including home and work locations, employer, traffic conditions, pick-up time, and more. The entire process takes seconds to complete and Scoop handles logistics, sharing of expenses, and trip coordination. With this flexibility, Scoop commuters along Pleasanton routes have taken an average of four trips per week, with some commuters using the service as often as eight to 10 times per week.

By having co-workers and neighbors share trips together, Scoop provides all of the benefits of carpooling at a fraction of the cost of more expensive ridesharing options. Scoop users split the cost of the commute and riders reimburse the driver for gas and the cost of wear and tear to the car. No cash is ever exchanged - all payment is handled through the app. For riders, Scoop is at least 25 percent cheaper than driving alone. The rider’s share of the commute cost is fixed and based on distance traveled with no frustrating “surge” pricing during high traffic time periods. Drivers get 50-100 percent of their commute cost reimbursed, depending on the number of passengers.

With their launch into North San Jose, Scoop turns their attention to alleviating the persistent traffic challenges employees experience commuting on Routes 101, 680, and 880 to San Jose - all of which have desirable HOV lanes. Scoop specializes in longer distance (10+ miles) commutes, an ideal solution for San Jose, the fifth worst commuter city in the country, with an average commute of 35-40 minutes.

Scoop is not only flexible and simple, but offers a safe commuting alternative. All Scoop drivers go through a motor vehicle history check and must verify that they own insurance before driving in a carpool. Scoop commuters can easily set preferences regarding whom they ride with and Scoop’s Guaranteed Ride Home program ensures no rider is ever stranded late at night by unforeseen schedule changes.

Scoop was founded by Rob and Jon Sadow. Rob was previously a manager at Bain & Company, specializing in customer strategy and marketing. He also spent time working at an electric vehicle startup in Tel Aviv. Jon, a former product manager at Google with expertise in enterprise software, was one of the first members of Google’s “autonomous” Consumer Surveys team.

For general inquiries or to download the application, visit www.takescoop.com.