Comments on: iHitch = web2.0 + hitchiking (possibly)

iHitch = web2.0 + hitchiking (possibly)

stbalbach — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:38:50 -0800

iHitch is to hitchhiking that CouchSurfing is to hotels. iHitch is just an idea, but key technologies (GPS phones, GPS in cars, Web2.0) are coming available in critical mass that could transform 'hitchhiking' into a mainstream, safe, reliable and cheap form of transportation. Some metro area carpool websites have already successfully started down this road.

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:58:26 -0800

What would "Web 2.0" have to do with this? I mean, if this weren't vaporware anyway...

By: wilful

wilful — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:19:51 -0800

nicwolff, go have another read, it's not 'vapourware', it's just an idea some guy had. Nobody is asking anyone to invest anything... it's the social problems not the technical ones that will be the killer.

By: RobotVoodooPower

RobotVoodooPower — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:35:04 -0800

I think the reason "slugging" has been successful is there is a fairly consistent population with fairly consistent goals i.e. single riders trying to get to work with clearly defined endpoints. You don't have couples, drunks, babies, pets, furniture, people unsure of their destination, etc. as you would with random rides. That said I like this idea (and have had it myself) but I think it'd work best as a karma-based system, not for $$. The trick is how to allow the driver to schedule pickups, confirm pickups, rate passengers, etc. on a mobile device without running off of a bridge.

By: not_the_water

not_the_water — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:58:14 -0800

The only, um, hitch (sorry) is that you're still faced with an inherent problem: the reluctance most people feel at letting strangers into their cars. Having spent some time hitchhiking up and down the US West Coast, I know that there are several specific types of people who pick up hikers. They're a narrow segment of the population. And despite the fact that this is a great idea, it's not going to suddenly shift the thinking and comfort level of everyone else. It very well could be that an idea like iHitch would begin to legitimize hitchhiking, which in turn would allow drivers to feel more comfortable. But we live in a fear-based society. Whether it's right or not, the stranger on the side of the road will always be just that -- a frightening unknown.

By: Maisie Jay

Maisie Jay — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:12:09 -0800

This could be awesome if it took off enough to have communities within the larger framework. A Metafilter iHitch group would be awesome for having company on road trips.

By: william_boot

william_boot — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:05:51 -0800

Once you've met the Hitcher, you'll never pick up another.

By: aeschenkarnos

aeschenkarnos — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:27:29 -0800

Oh I dunno, william_boot, the occasional exception might thumb a ride.

By: signal

signal — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:46:08 -0800

Does anybody know where the US image of the hitchhiker as DANGER-WATCH OUT comes from? I ask as somebody who's hitched all over Europe and South America, and don't get the "OMG don't pick up hitchhikers" thing that's common currency in the US.

By: NolanRyanHatesMatches

NolanRyanHatesMatches — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:59:16 -0800

I'm not sure about their proposed implementation, but the idea itself is great. Lord knows the roadblocks -- tech-glitches, angry taxi unions, taxing issues, and the rogue nightmare users that every social aggregation has -- would be many, and kind of tough to overcome if the iHitchers want to be legit. The only, um, hitch (sorry) is that you're still faced with an inherent problem: the reluctance most people feel at letting strangers into their cars. I think this would be much less of a problem than you think: the people participating would already be game. As long as you had a a semi-dependable core user group in a few big cities, I think it could take off. Heck, with some seed money they could pay full-time drivers for the first six months while the good word spreads. Seems like there's enough profit on the IHitch side (cutting out the gas, car, and employee overheads) and the bonus for the driver to get home and say, "Gee, if I keep picking up people and driving them ten minutes, I'd have my gas money taken care of in a cinch." And the "green" tie-in seals the deal.

By: sien

sien — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:02:52 -0800

iHitch is a great idea. A web 2.0 version of Christopher Hitchens would be brilliant. You could click on a button to make him drunker and another one to choose the focus of his rant from Mother Teresa, the Iraq War or how god doesn't exist. I don't know how you would profit from this, but it certainly has potential.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:11:22 -0800

So here's my little game scenario question: I have created X number of bots that will drive around and pick up hitchhikers or they will hitchhike themselves. X is easily into the millions. I have one special bot that I release into the mix. This special bot has an inclination for crime. Let's say it will rob, or rape, or kill (based on a random roll) about 33.3% (again based on a random roll) of the time it comes in contact with another player character. The question is not whether you would participate, but whether you would allow any of your loved ones to participate? For me if all else was equal and there was just one guy out there who even had anything but the bet of intentions, then I wouldn't be to happy about letting anyone I know travel in such a manner.

By: Optamystic

Optamystic — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:42:02 -0800

It's like a pizza delivery service for raptists.

By: yort

yort — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:42:29 -0800

hate to break it to you, PoB, but there's already 1.3 deaths per 100 million passenger miles in the US. . . over 40,000 people were KIA on our roads last year, that's 1 out of 7500 people.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:27:32 -0800

Yort you should also throw in the serious injury numbers. I stopped driving forever after working at an insurance company and having to peruse the serious accidents every morning. I opted out of being part of that meat grinder. The carnage we accept on the roads makes the Quebec Hockey League look like a good choice of daycare for your toddlers.

By: a robot made out of meat

a robot made out of meat — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:48:23 -0800

I'd probably be more comfortable with hitchhikers if they were people with verifiable identities. Your average homeless drunk probably hasn't got their web-enabled mobile phone working. Committing crimes against drivers would be a pretty bad idea if the system keeps a record "ManiacX picked up by NaiveLady @ 3:12 PM at coords ##.###, ##.###. GPS tracked route number: #######." If the system has billing involved, then that's a fairly strong personal identity requirement.

By: Vindaloo

Vindaloo — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:14:00 -0800

I never understood why hitch-hiking is so frowned upon in North America when in Europe it's everywhere.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:15:17 -0800

Having spent some time hitchhiking up and down the US West Coast, I know that there are several specific types of people who pick up hikers. I'm curious now. What are the types have you observed?

By: lester

lester — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:38:11 -0800

it's not real hitchhiking until you get picked up by some truck driver pervert who spends 800 miles hitting on you as you cross the southwest desert. of course, he did calm down after he beat off in front of me.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:45:37 -0800

the reluctance most people feel at letting strangers into their cars. Well, per the first link, the idea is there is a reputation system for both drivers and passengers, so that potential riders/drivers can see right away the persons reputation before deciding to pickup or get-in. That's where "Web20" comes in (or whatever you want to call it), similar to the reputation systems on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace.

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:42:22 -0800

I never understood why hitch-hiking is so frowned upon in North America when in Europe it's everywhere. Probably started with Cockeyed Cook, who murdered an entire family who picked him up, and spiraled downward from there. Our country being so gigantic, we don't have community ties to let us know what sort of people we'll encounter, so we are more likely to rely on media representations. If decent people are scared to hitchhike, and decent people are scared to pick up hitchhikers, well -- the Mean World Syndrome enforces itself. I remember how stunned and then charmed I was to see kids -- kids! -- hitchhiking in the back roads of Ireland.

By: sammyo

sammyo — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:03:01 -0800

lester: Yow that beats my worst, got a ride down I5 from Salem OR to somewhere around Stanford in the middle of the summer in a Caddy with a tobacco chewer. Spit into a beer bottle every 10 minutes or so. Incredibly bad smell, but it was summer and the AC kept it slightly below 98F.