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Google Kinda-Sorta Moves To Displace The Displacers Uber and Lyft With A "Going My Way?" Waze Hitchhiking Ride Sharing Service..


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LEARN MORE: Hey Car Industry Open Your Eyes, The Silicon Valley Crowd Is On Their Way To Appliance-ize Cars (And The Need For Your Company)

Auto Central August 31, 2016; Jack Nicas writing for the WSJ reported that Google is moving onto Uber Technologies Inc.’s (which by the way lost 1.5 $billion in the first half of 2016) turf with a ride-sharing service to help San Francisco commuters join carpools, a person familiar with the matter said, jumping into a booming but fiercely competitive market.

Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., began a pilot program around its California headquarters in May that enables several thousand area workers at specific firms to use the Waze app to connect with fellow commuters. It plans to open the program to all San Francisco-area Waze users this fall, the person said. Waze, which Google acquired in 2013, offers real-time driving directions based on information from other drivers.

Unlike Uber and its crosstown San Francisco rival Lyft Inc., which each largely operate as on-demand taxi businesses, Waze wants to connect riders with drivers who are already headed in the same direction. The company has said it aims to make fares low enough to discourage drivers from operating as taxi drivers. Waze’s current pilot program charges riders at most 54 cents a mile—less than most Uber and Lyft rides—and, for now, Google doesn’t take a fee.

For the complete WSJ article click here.

Google Vs. The World Of Transportation Comments From KBB.Com

From Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com:
“It seems like a race to the bottom to take over the taxi market. Lower fares may lead to market share gains against other forms of public transport, but at some point the ride-hailing services are going to look to make money. It is a stretch to believe that ride-hailing will gain usage versus personal cars in more than a select few urban areas in the U.S.”

From Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
“The frenetic activity in ride sharing and autonomous driving mimics the auto industry of 100 years ago. Private car ownership and personal transportation was still new and novel at the time, with hundreds of new car companies springing up to serve consumer demand. Now we’re seeing traditional automakers, traditional tech companies and even entirely new entities jumping into ride sharing and self-driving technology with an aim to cash in on this latest evolution in personal transportation. Watching Google and Uber battle for market share will make for great entertainment, though the ultimate winner might be a company we haven’t even heard of yet.”

From Michael Harley, analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
“Considering that Waze reportedly has more than 50 million users, Google is arguably more knowledgeable — and has more insight — towards driving habits than any other company on the planet. It is only natural that it recognizes patterns and is able to connect drivers heading the same direction towards similar destinations. Carpooling, and taxi services, are being completely redefined by this rapidly evolving ride-sharing wave — but we are only seeing the tip of this emerging iceberg.”


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