Last month we heard reports that Google was apparently interested in launching their own ride-sharing service. Now according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, it seems that those plans are now live, although it is currently only limited to San Francisco. Prior to this, the service was in a private beta, but we guess that is no longer the case.
Google’s ride-sharing service will be taking advantage of its Waze platform. Users will need to download an app called Waze Rider to request for rides from drivers who might be using the Waze app. While it does seem like it could be an Uber or Lyft competitor, Google is apparently not trying to position themselves that way.
For example Uber and Lyft drivers will take drivers to pretty much anywhere they want, kind of like a taxi. In Google’s case, the company simply wants users to have the convenience of carpooling with drivers who might be headed in the same direction. At this point in time, Google is limiting drivers and riders to two rides a day, basically to and from work.
They are also making it cheap so that drivers won’t turn it into a full-time job, which in turn could help Google avoid regulatory issues. For example the WSJ reports that when they tried the service, Google paid the driver $6.30, while they charged the rider $3 as part of a promo. They then compared it to Uber and Lyft, in which the same route would have cost them $23-$30 based on the fare estimates given by the app.