Israeli Apps Produce ‘Affordable, Eco-Friendly’ Daily Commutes

Two Israeli-founded transit companies have merged to streamline carpooling, thus saving time, money and the environment.

By United With Israel Staff

Two Israeli transit companies have joined forces to ease the process of carpooling and lessen the transportation footprint on the environment. Moovit announced on Wednesday that it will partner with Waze, now a Google company, to integrate Waze’s carpooling feature into Moovit’s transportation app.

This will “empower millions of commuters to share the road and the costs,” according to the companies’ joint statement.

Moovit users will have the option of using Waze’s carpool feature while planning their trip and will be matched with a Waze Carpool driver, thus expanding commuter public transportation options listed on the Moovit app, according to NoCamels. This will provide “an affordable, convenient and enjoyable commute – with the first ride free for new riders.”

“Once Moovit users tap on the drive details, they will be directed to the Waze Carpool app where they can request to join the ride and get notified when the carpool is confirmed,” the statement said. “As the carpool drive begins, waiting passengers can follow the driver’s progress to the pickup location. Users can then share the road and the costs to get to their destination.”

The pilot program will take place in the US, Brazil, Mexico, and Israel. It will allow commuters to ride together in “an affordable and eco-friendly way,” the companies said in a joint statement.

“As we continue to strive to empower people everywhere to get around with peace of mind, Moovit is constantly offering new mobility solutions for its users,” said Nir Erez, co-founder and CEO of Moovit. “That’s why we are very proud to partner with Waze and launch this joint pilot program to offer an alternative to their regular commute via every day carpooling. This is the first community collaboration of its kind and it’s all steered by commuters, for commuters.”

Aron Di Castro, Waze director of business development and partnerships, said the company was excited to launch the pilot and expand the Waze Carpool community. “By riding together, we can all take cars off the road and help decrease traffic and congestion for everyone,” he said, according to NoCamels.

Waze, founded in 2007 by Uri Levine, Ehud Shabtai, and Amir Shinar, is a GPS navigation software app that has the largest community of drivers globally. It was acquired by Google in 2013 for $1.3 billion.

Moovit, founded in 2012 by Nir Erez, Yaron Evron, and Roy Bick, is a free mobile and web app that provides real-time mobility options and public transportation schedules to half a billion users in 3,000 cities, 93 countries and 45 languages.

“The usage in Israel alone has more than tripled since the beginning of 2019,” Waze said in an email to NoCamels. “While we’re only live in Israel, USA, Brazil, and Mexico, we’ve seen our LATAM [Latin American] markets respond particularly well to Waze Carpool.”

As both transportation companies originated in Israel, this merger is particularly unique.

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