There’s nothing more frustrating than sitting in traffic, car idling lazily while wasting gas and emitting carbon monoxide into the air. In many big cities, you might have just as easily hopped on the bus, taken the subway, rode a bike or simply walked. But figuring out which method is fastest would take just as much time as navigating rush hour. Not anymore. RideScout, a mobile application that provides real-time information on how to get around your city, is disrupting the transit industry, one download at a time. RideScout allows you to compare all transportation options — including city buses and trains, taxis, car-shares, biking, walking and driving — to determine the quickest and cheapest ways to get from Point A to Point B without completely losing your cool. “Our vision statement is seamless door-to-door transportation,” RideScout cofounder and Army veteran Joseph Kopser told The Atlantic Cities. “What I mean by that is every safe, legal, and reliable way that’s out there, we want to bring to you in the palm of your hand or onto your desktop so you can have all your options.”
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The Washington, DC-based startup, which first launched in the area in November with big support from city officials, recently got a facelift, adding more features, like the ability to inform users how many empty slots are at the nearest Bikeshare station, or ping them when it’s time to leave the house to catch the bus or train. The app is available on the iPhone and Android phones (in beta), but is currently only fully optimized — meaning that it offers the most variety of transportation options — in DC and Austin. More transit options will become available in other U.S. cities soon. Eventually, Kopser and his partner, Army friend Craig Cummings, hope to expand into international markets.
At its core, RideScout is more than just a tool to help people combat traffic. By being able to quickly partner with more transportation services, Kopser and Cummings hope to persuade users to reconsider their dependence on cars, while increasing transportation efficiency and reducing drunk driving. “Our communities, our cities and suburbs, we can’t sustain a car-centric life going forward in this country,” Kopser said. For these reasons, RideScout was named the winner in the Smart Cities category at the Challenge Cup DC Regional Competition, a startup competition. The company will compete against other big “Smart Cities” ideas in the Challenge Cup Global Finals and Festival in May. No matter how they fare at the event, RideScout could become a model for building smarter, more connected communities with efficient transportation systems.
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Tag: traffic
Meet the Amazing People Who Are Making Atlanta’s Awful Snowstorm Less Awful
It seemed like the apocalypse had arrived in Atlanta after a few inches of snow left thousands stranded on highways without food or water. Children were stuck in school buses, a baby was born in highway traffic during the gridlock and some folks had to completely abandon their cars and walk for miles in freezing temps to find shelter. But no disaster is without its heroes.
Several schools, restaurants and companies like Home Depot and Kroger opened their doors for people to stay overnight. Michelle Sollicito, a Web-savvy good Samaritan, started the SnowedOutAtlanta Facebook page, a resource for people to get in touch with volunteers who wanted to help. The page’s crowdsourcing map allowed stranded motorists to find nearby shelters. More than 52,000 people have joined Sollicito’s service to get through the storm.
And if you want something that will really melt your heart, stop by the page’s spinoff, The Heroes of Snowed In Atlanta, which collects stories and photos of the city’s biggest helpers. Take Matthew Miller, who stood on I-75 to hand out PB&Js, cereal and hot chocolate to stranded motorists. Another local, James Thomason, used his pickup to pull cars out of ditches and take drivers home. It’s people like that who remind us that together we can get through even the worst storms.
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