Roober
A ride-sharing app for road trips
Last year, a friend of mine began developing a ride-sharing app for road trips. Users heading to nearby vacation destinations would be able to split the cost of travel. Although similar to a traditional ride-sharing app, the focus would be on longer rides (a few hours), rather than quick, local trips.
Problem- The typical ridesharing experience is transactional - the driver provides a service that the rider pays for. Road trips don’t fit the same mold; both parties are providing a service to one another. It’s important that both the driver and the passenger feel a sense of comfort, safety, and the potential to make positive memories.
Solution- Meld a ride-sharing app with the profile and preference features of a social networking app.
Research- I identified two types of vehicle transportation apps: Ride-sharing (Uber, Lyft) and Car-sharing (Zip Car, Gig Car). While there are several ride-sharing apps that have a similar focus on carpooling, all are focused on sharing a commute. The greatest weakness across all apps was the emphasis on short, transactional rides, rather than creating social experiences. Users are also typically unable to schedule rides weeks ahead of time, as would be necessary for travel planning.
