Weeels: Towards A Social Transit System

In an effort to establish a middle ground between public and personal transportation, recently launched NYC ride-sharing service Weeels is attempting to define that space as “social transit.”  The idea is to blend the lower cost and carbon footprint of mass offerings like subways and buses with the door-to-door convenience and speed of taking a livery cab by yourself.

Through a free mobile app, users enter a destination and search for available rides. The service looks for potential matches based on time (windows last up to 20 minutes) and proximity, providing users with a list of options that they can review and select. Weeels then orders a cab to a specified location, providing a walking map, fellow rider’s picture and and cost of the fare. After the ride, users can submit feedback about their experience through the app.

As with any social service, the success of the Weeels venture will depend on quickly amassing a community of riders who are willing to share their personal space with a stranger, but one assumes the relatively low risk combined with the possibility of an interesting story to tell will certainly help sell the idea. That said, Weeels is also looking to bolster its current model with the development of an algorithm to provide more matches, as well as a click-to-pay option available directly through the app.

Weeels