Real time ridesharing using wireless pocket phones to access the ride matching computer

Abstract

In US urban areas automobiles driven to and from work experience severe road congestion, yet possess considerable unutilized people-moving capacity (in the form of empty seats) that could help relieve the congestion. This paper explores the possibility of harnessing this capacity through the use of a computer in each urban area that matches riders and drivers in real-time and is accessed by lightweight pocket-sized wireless telephones. Such a system would provide much greater convenience and flexibility than ridesharing that uses land-line phones to arrange for rides/riders and that requires a rigid commitment to departure times.