SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Commuters looking to ditch their personal cars and share the ride will soon have a new tool to make connections easier.
Sheyanne Tirado Garcia, founder of RideNeighbor, said the idea came from watching the cost of commuting add up fast.
"So my husband commutes from the Sacramento area to the Bay Area twice a week. And we did the calculations and he's spending $7,000 just commuting twice a week a year on gas and bridge tolls."
That experience pushed her to look for a solution.
"I knew there had to be a better way to save money so it can be allocated elsewhere."
RideNeighbor is an online app that connects people who are looking to carpool and save money. After signing up, users go through a triple verification background check before preference matching begins.
"We're not just patching your ride, we're matching your vibe. So you can choose if someone is chatty or quiet. Music on, music off. Gender preference, which also falls under the safety category, as well as rating and reviewing your drivers and riders," Tirado Garcia said.
Users can select whether they want to be a driver or a rider. The app automatically splits the cost of gas based on commuting length, any toll fees, and wear and tear on the vehicle.
According to rideshare.org, depending on the type of car and driving patterns, drivers can spend about 50 cents per mile to more than $1 a mile.
For commuters with a longer-than-average commute — typically anything more than 12 miles — carpooling 250 days a year can save someone more than $1,500.
Tirado Garcia said RideNeighbor is expected to go live by the end of the year. People across California have already signed up to be on the waitlist.
There will be a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 to use the service, as well as a one-time background check processing fee.
For more information, visit rideneighbor.com.
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