Ridesharing mobile app makes its way into bay-area

Uber and Lyft are not the only ride-sharing companies in the game. Say hello to the new ride-sharing service brought to you by Google. Yes, the technology company has made its debut in a variety of industries, and it’s certainly not surprising that Google is making its entrance into the ride-sharing scene.

According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2013 Google acquired Waze — a mobile app that utilizes real-time data from users to navigate drivers to their destination. Google’s ride-sharing service will implement Waze for their pilot program and will connect employees from preselected large businesses in the bay-area, such as Walmart and Adobe, with other commuters.

This fall, Google will open up the service to all Waze users in the San Francisco and bay-area. Despite the ride-sharing market being overly saturated, Google will only charge users $0.54 per mile, which is cheaper than Uber’s rate and they will not take a slice of profits — at least for now.

Robert Rickett, a non-profit worker in Sacramento noted, “they have a lot of people who trust Waze. If they can capitalize on that, they could pull some market share.”

For many, when we need a ride to the airport or have had one too many glasses of Pinot Noir — ride-sharing apps safely get us to where we are going. It’s no surprise that Google has made its debut into the ride-sharing industry, especially since rumors have been buzzing around since 2013. As Google gains traction in the space, it’ll be interesting to see how users take to the new service.