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Eco App of the Week: CarsharingPosted in Travel on 19 Oct 2009 |
 Written by Allison Wahl |
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For the final eco app, I thought I’d spotlight something that encourages possibly the oldest trick in the book when it comes to being ecologically efficient. As is implied by the name, Carsharing enables just that: sharing rides, better known as carpooling. Since it follows obvious logic that fewer cars on the road = less gas emissions and more money in the pocket, Carsharing enables people to identify other travelers or drivers in their area in order to share rides and reduce the number of vehicles in use.
GPS features are enabled, so users of the app only need to specify their departure time and destination. This information is then automatically posted on the map so that potential car sharers can see if their routes match up. When everything is in sync, users can contact each other either by phone or through ECOTAXI’s internal messaging service. While this may seem a sketchier way to arrange carpools, it certainly does achieve the app’s three main goals: reducing the cost of a journey by sharing it with others, combating carbon warming, and meeting new (and likely interesting) people. Granted, Carsharing may be for the more adventurous iPhone users, but it definitely allows you to get a lot more for your mileage — including a better environmental conscience, some money saved, and potentially great connections.
