Source, Scott Gutierezz, Seattlepi.com. In Seattle, two companies are using technology to connect drivers and riders. Both launched this year with on-demand ridesharing websites and smart-phone apps.
Zebigo, a Fremont startup, was the latest to launch in May. People sign up online, either as a driver or rider, and the system matches them with other headed that way at the same time. Riders pay a small per-mileage fee to the driver electronically. Zebigo was a 2010 Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open Semifinalist.
Zebigo’s launch comes on the heels of a state-funded pilot program, focused on the State Route 520 corridor, to test ride-sharing as a tool for reducing congestion. Managed by Avego, a small Ireland-based transportation software company, the first phase of the Go520 pilot program just finished in June.