Great Designs Example 4

Uber and Lyft have been getting a ton of press coverage, ranging from the legality and safety of getting into a strangers car and paying for it, to the wisdom behind crowd-sourcing transportation. I have pretty limited experience with these services, but I did recently get to use Lyft after a late night, and on the weekend following brunch.

My favorite, favorite feature of this app is that it shows you that there are actual cars nearby and that they are, indeed on their way. They even give you a time estimate (with varying levels of accuracy.)

There are a lot of great features to the Lyft app, you can get histories, review the riders, and see who it is that will be transporting you.

It’s a great use for cars that would otherwise go idling when I need a ride. I like the idea that I’m not adding greatly to carbon footprints by owning my own car and sitting in traffic. I like that someone gets paid for something they already have (time and a car). I like that the people I’ve talked to tell me that they can make a good living through this new opportunity.

Mostly I like watching the little cars move closer and closer.