Rides · Next

A seat in a neighbor's car.

A seat in a neighbor's car, on a trip they make anyway. A driver posts a route and a time, the seats that are free, and the share of the cost. A rider reserves a seat; the share is held until the drop-off is confirmed from both phones. No deposit on either side. No fleet, no dispatch, no surge: the trip was happening anyway.

Every weekday morning, cars leave Kreis 4 for Oerlikon, for the airport, for the office parks along the Glatt, with seats empty. The trip is the same whether the seat is taken or not. The cost is not.

A ride is a rental of a seat. The same contract that holds a bike deposit holds the rider's share. Instead of a lock, two phones confirm the pickup and the drop-off. Instead of damage, the guild deals with no-shows, detours and disagreements about the share.

The share is the cost of the trip divided by the people in the car, suggested by the app from distance and fuel, set by the driver. It is a share of the cost, not a fare, and the driver is not on shift. There is no deposit: the rating on both sides, and the record of every trip, is what a stranger has to go on.

Rides come after the bike pilot. The contracts already know how to hold a share and confirm a handover from both sides; the ride guild is constituted when the first drivers sign up.

What is held

The rider's share of the trip, held until drop-off.

A share of the cost, not a fare. It is released to the driver when both phones confirm the drop-off. If the driver does not show, the share goes back to the rider and the no-show goes on the driver's record. If the rider does not show, the driver keeps a quarter of the share.

Four steps

  1. Offer

    A driver posts the route, the time, the free seats and the share of the cost.

  2. Reserve

    A rider takes a seat. The share is held.

  3. Ride

    Both confirm the pickup from the phone. The drop-off closes the trip.

  4. Settle

    The share moves to the driver. Both sides rate.

When two neighbors disagree

The ride guild decides.

Most rentals close in step four. The few that do not go to the ride guild: a small group of people who know the thing, bonded, voting on the record. The rider has 72 hours to answer, the members vote within 96, and what is held moves as they decide. The platform never decides. How the guild works →

Questions

Is this a taxi?

No. A driver posts a trip they are making anyway and shares its cost. There is no dispatch, no meter and no surge, and nobody is driving for a living.

What if the driver does not show?

The share goes back to the rider in full, and the no-show goes on the driver's record. Three no-shows end the driver's listing.

Is there a deposit?

No. Deposits are for things that can be damaged or not returned. A seat is neither. The rider's share is held until drop-off, and that is all.